The Stray Cat in the Alley
by yan.mango
Summary: Sequel to Hold Me Tight and Never Let Go."You don't have a choice!" She snarled furiously. "Even if there wasn't a choice," He countered evenly, "I would go back to her."
1. Prologue

**Note: Dear readers, this is a sequel to the previous fiction "Hold Me Tight And Never Let Go". It's strongly recommended that you read that first because there are new characters which I've imported over to this story. Also, the plots are connected so you won't be able to full appreciate this story unless you've read the prequel. Here's the link: www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/3454527/1/Hold_Me_Tight_and_Never_Let_Go**

**Enjoy. :)**

* * *

**PROLOGUE;**

He froze still, as the deafening alarms reminded him that he was about to be caught for stealing into a top-secret room.

The glaring red lights flashed around the raven-haired boy mockingly.

He'd been a second too late as hidden steel bars made their way from the ceiling and slammed against the floor loudly, barricading the exit.

And now, he was going to pay dearly for that minor mistake.

"They'll kill you."

An icy tone, filled with nothing but monotony sent familiar chills down his back.

The raven-haired boy whirled, meeting her cold gaze as she stood behind the bars, crossing her arms calmly.

"You..." He murmured, turning away uninterestedly as a sign that he would rather stay trapped in the room than plead for her help, "What are you doing here?"

"I happened to pass by..." She smirked slyly, "Then someone had to break in and get caught."

He ignored her, as his crimson orbs darted across the room, searching for another way out.

She stared at him intently, serious once again, as her thin lips parted slightly.

"I am your only escape option."

He replied without turning his back. "What are you here for?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" She whispered, as she slammed her palm onto the contraption beside the steel bars, as it registered and decoded the alarm system.

Before he could turn around, he felt her arms wrapped around his waist tightly.

The girl had immobilized him by placing a large amount of pressure onto his body, rooting him to the floor effortlessly.

"I'll let you go if you don't go back to her."

Her command was cold and full of authority; too much, as if she was trying to hide the anxiety behind it.

The room was now so quiet that he could even hear her shallow breathing behind him.

There was not much time left, he knew.

He also knew that his answer was not going to favor him; nevertheless, there was not a single trace of hesitation as he spoke.

"I'd rather die, then."

Her calm expression wavered.

She let go and grabbed him on the shoulders roughly, forcing him to turn towards her.

"You don't have a choice!" She snarled furiously.

"Even if there wasn't a choice," He countered evenly, "I would go back to her."

"You are going to die_ because_ of her now!" It was now a desperate plea, a last resort to provoke him and prove him wrong, "Don't you understand the situation you're in now? It's such a simple condition, in exchange for your life!"

His unfathomable blood red eyes met hers firmly, and she knew it even before he answered. "My life would mean nothing without her."

They fell silent.

Her expression softened as she seized his collar and forced him to bend down, their lips almost touching.

"I hate you…" She murmured incoherently, her voice barely audible, "I hate you, Natsume Hyuuga."

Her words lingered on his lips, as she released him, her expression hard and numb once again.

"Now go."

* * *

**I am back, dear readers. :)**

**And I'm terribly sorry for updating only after sooo long.**

**I'm in a rush now, so I'll make this as short as possible.**

**Thank you so much for the support, readers and especially reviewers... I shall post your names up when I'm free :D**

**xx**


	2. Chapter 1: Let Go

你的回话凌乱着  
在这个时刻 我想起喷泉旁的白鸽  
甜蜜散落了 情绪莫名的拉扯  
我还爱你呢

时间过了 走了  
爱情面临选择  
你冷了 倦了 我哭了

怎么了 你累了  
说好的 幸福呢

**CHAPTER 1;**

**Let Go ;**

* * *

"Let go."

The cold voice that she had not heard since a long time rang in her ears clearly, as Mikan Sakura trembled slightly.

It had to be a dream, because Natsume would never ask her to _let go_.

But all of this seemed so real; the chill of winter's night that grazed her skin roughly, the rustling of fallen leaves, the beauty of the moonlight that scattered on the grounds, the soft fabric she clutched tightly in her hand… and the dark silhouette of the person standing in front of her.

She stared at his back; the feeling was so familiar, yet he was so tense now, as if a sudden movement would send fire erupting from his palms.

Mikan tightened her grip on his shirt, advancing a step closer.

"Let go." Natsume repeated quietly.

She wanted to grab his shoulders and force him to look at her, but her fingers felt numb and cold, as if immobilized by his words.

"Natsume…"

He was wearing his mask -like the first time she met him- with a bag slung casually on his shoulder.

Ten minutes ago, he had just entered his room and started to pack. Then, without answering any questions, ignoring her as if she were not there, he walked past her and left the room.

It happened so suddenly that Mikan Sakura did not have time to think. Now they stood outside the dormitories, after she had finally snapped out of trance and grabbed the corner of his shirt.

"Where are you going?" She whispered pleadingly, "What's going on?"

Natsume Hyuuga took a step forward.

"Natsume!" Alarmed, she let go of his shirt and wrapped her arms around him, "I don't understand…"

He stood rigidly, unable to move.

"Why won't you tell me?" Mikan buried her face into his back, "What _happened_ to you?"

"I've had enough of the Academy."

Natsume Hyuuga replied icily, as she widened her hazel orbs in shock. She knew how he had always hated the academy, but she thought the situation had improved since…

… Since they had gone through so much together.

Mikan struggled to find the right words to say, but found that she had nothing to throw back at him.

Natsume Hyuuga made an effort to pull away from her grasp this time, and her eyes never left him.

"Are you coming back?"

He didn't answer.

Her heart sank. None of this made sense at all. It was just too sudden, too unexpected. She knew Natsume- at least she thought she did. Of all times, why was he choosing to leave _now_?

"Take me with you, then." Mikan Sakura reached out for his hand gently, but he shifted it forward, avoiding her touch.

She had half-expected that reaction, but it still slammed into her heart like a rock.

"I don't understand…" She could feel hot tears welling in her eyes, and as the thought of Natsume leaving suddenly struck her hard, she squatted down and buried her head between her knees, sobbing. "What about Ruka? What about _us_…?"

Natsume Hyuuga turned around, his expression concealed by the black mask. Incandescent rays of moonlight spilled onto half of his face, it was a display of elegance as he slowly walked towards her.

He reached out, his hand hesitating inches near her hair. _Mikan…_

Instead of pulling her into his arms, he looked away. "You're being watched by the Academy. Be careful, don't let anyone hurt you."

"I don't want to…" She shook her head, her sobs uncontrollable, "It's meaningless without Natsume…"

Without warning, Natsume Hyuuga removed his mask and grabbed her wrists swiftly, as Mikan Sakura lost balance and fell backwards. Her back hit the hard ground surface roughly, a brief stab of pain creeping through her spine.

Natsume Hyuuga pinned her onto the ground firmly, his unfathomable crimson red eyes watching her intensely. He pressed his torso against hers slightly, careful not to place too much weight onto her light body.

"Baka…" He whispered, leaning forward. "You don't understand…"

"Natsume-" She only managed to say before his lips crashed against hers.

Mikan Sakura's eyes flew open in shock. The kiss was rough and passionate, filled with bitterness and vulnerability- It was something she had not experience before, and the closest feeling familiar to this was the night she had almost lost her life…

_She could feel Natsume's lips trembling, and the warmth of his body._

_Pressing his lips onto hers, Natsume murmured so softly that only Mikan could hear._

"_Mikan…"_

A goodbye kiss.

"It has to be this way." Natsume finally pulled away and murmured, enveloping her into his arms tightly, as she buried her face into his shoulder. "It's over, Mikan…"

The black mask lay still on the ground beside them.

She refused to let go of him.

Natsume Hyuuga finally pushed her away gently, picking the forgotten mask as he got up. His face betrayed no hint of emotion. "Tell Ruka to take care of himself."

Mikan Sakura closed her eyes, the frosty night biting at her skin. She was breathless, making no effort to get up.

She felt a tingling sensation on her skin as tears rolled off her cheek, and the dull ache in her chest stretched across her whole body, numbing her senses.

When she opened her eyes, Natsume was gone.

* * *

Natsume Hyuuga lay on a bed of grass outside the gates of the Academy, covering his face with a half-bent elbow.

Sneaking out had been easy; too easy for him.

It was cool and windy outside the Academy, a peaceful atmosphere that reminded him of her. He did not feel any insecurity- this place was covered with tall trees that formed a protective shade over him.

Natsume Hyuuga removed his elbow, opening his magnificent red orbs slowly.

It was a starry night.

"_Baka __Natsume! I can't believe you accepted missions without me again! Stop moving, I'm trying to bandage your arm!"_

"_I hate seeing you get hurt. Don't do that again, please?"_

"_Promise?"_

"_I love you."_

Suddenly, a pained expression flickered in his eyes as her face flashed in his mind briefly, and was quickly replaced by the reflection of the sky above him.

Natsume stood up, picking his bag and mask up. It still wasn't safe yet, even though he was already standing outside the Academy gates.

"Where do you think you're going, Natsume?"

Natsume knew that cold voice even before he dodged the ungloved hand reaching out to his head swiftly.

A portion of the tree trunk behind him corroded into ashes.

Persona stared at his pale hand bemusedly, as if slightly surprised that he had missed. Looking up to see Natsume's defiant glare, his lips curved into a malevolent smirk.

"You're leaving the girl?"

"It's none of your business." Natsume snapped, his voice filled with hatred.

"Of course it is," Persona stepped forward, cupping his chin with a gloved hand. He smiled in satisfaction as the raven-haired boy flinched. "If you were planning to leave permanently, I'd advise you to think again."

His sleeve caught fire instantly.

That was his answer.

Persona's grip on his chin tightened suddenly, "You know too much, Natsume."

The next second, his ungloved hand was extending towards the fire caster once again without warning, as a quick duel commenced.

"I never had a choice," Natsume snarled back furiously, fire appearing on his palms. Persona responded by wielding a dagger, and it glinted dangerously in the moonlight.

"I'm not going to use my Alice until the final blow, Natsume." Persona drawled, twisting the dagger around his fingers. "By the way, your little girl must be devastated now."

The fire caster widened his eyes, distracted for a moment. Persona stopped playing with the dagger and flicked his wrist deftly, sending the dagger flying.

It pierced through Natsume's right shoulder, a gasp of agony escaping his lips. Ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder, he placed a hand onto the hilt of the dagger and pulled it out roughly.

Something caught his sharp eye- His blood was not the only thing smeared onto the double-edged blade, but remnants of a slick and silvery substance that had been perfectly camouflaged by the blade.

Natsume cursed under his breath.

As if on cue, his right shoulder burned with intense pain, and the excruciating agony stretched over his whole body. The poisoned blade hit the ground with a clang, as the raven-haired boy dropped to his knees.

But this was only the beginning.

A burning sensation seared up his throat, slowly suffocating him. Natsume instinctively clutched his collar tightly as his breathing got heavier and heavier, and waves of nausea started to hit him.

He collapsed onto the ground, coughing out some blood. Through a horizontal view, he watched as Persona approached him slowly, and his vision blurred slightly.

It was no use; he did not have the strength to struggle anymore.

Persona knelt down beside Natsume, his shadow looming over him dauntingly. "It's too bad, Natsume."

Persona's cold voice rang in his ears once again, reminding Natsume of the tone he'd used against Mikan Sakura. Everything seemed so distant now, as his consciousness slipped in and out.

"You could've lasted longer, if only you hadn't been distracted."

Eyes half-closed, Natsume Hyuuga concentrated sheer will onto his left palm, cold sweat damping his left sleeve.

Something flickered on his palm weakly. The orange flame was not even enough to be reflected in his eyes.

Persona traced a finger across his pale face, his Alice starting to channel through his body.

Just as Persona was about to deliver the final blow, a gunshot pierced the air and a bullet whizzed past his shoulder, causing him to snap his head up in anger.

On the cold and hard ground, Natsume Hyuuga passed out, as the small flame on his left palm gradually disappeared.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh, God. I can't believe I haven't updated for almost one whole year. I owe my readers and reviewers an apology. Sorry guys, I'm really sorry. Things have been hectic (That's not an excuse, who the hell would be so busy for one whole year -.-) PLUS I had no inspiration. At all. You call that writer's block, right? I am drowned by guilt every time I see a review on Hold Me Tight and Never Let Go or the prologue of this story...

Readers and reviewers of _Hold Me Tight And Never Let Go_ and the prologue of _The Stray Cat of The Alley_, **thank you** so much for the support. I love you guys. Sorry if I let you down.

I'm having holidays now, so I'll probably have time to update if everything goes well :P This story will be really short though.

Oh, oh... And I'm going to reply to all of the friend requests i received throughout the whole year! Of course we can be friends :)

With all my love, I present to you **Chapter 1** of _The Stray Cat In The Alley_!(This line is supposed to be on top actually)

Okay bye!


	3. Chapter 2: A Valuable Asset

就算这是做错 也只是怕错过  
迷路的后果 我能承受  
这最后的出口 在爱过了才有

能不能给我一首歌的时间  
紧紧的把那拥抱变成永远  
在我的怀里你不用害怕失眠  
如果你想忘记我也能失忆

能不能给我一首歌的时间  
把故事听到最后才说再见  
你送我的眼泪 让它留在雨天  
越过你划的线 我定了勇气的终点

**CHAPTER 2;**

**A Valuable Asset ;**

* * *

Mikan Sakura refused to get up.

Wrapping herself in Natsume's blanket, she buried her face into the pillow, losing herself in the familiar scent. Her back ached from the position she had remained in the whole night. Her eyes were sore and puffy, and it hurt when she tried to close them.

But the worse thing was the memories of the raven-haired boy that kept flashing in her mind.

It was as if she had fallen into a void of emptiness in a single night; her heart sank every time she remembered the echo of his fading footsteps.

She reminisced the night they had first started- the furious expression on his face the moment Persona shot her… the firmness of his grip as he held her chin and kissed her… his gentle movements as he bandaged her arm… the insecurity in his tone as he murmured, _"Just let me borrow you from Ruka for one night."_

She would never forget the way her heart leaped every time a mischievous smirk graced his lips… the warmth she felt when he wrapped his arms around her… the passion she felt when he gazed at her intensely… the memories that always left her breathless.

"Natsume…"

Mikan Sakura closed her eyes and buried her face deeper into the pillows, refusing to let the tears spill out.

"Stop crying!" She cried out to herself in frustration, her voice muffled by the pillow. "Stop crying…"

She couldn't help it.

Fresh tears dampened the pillow once again; the wet fabric caused her discomfort as her face was pressed against it. Mikan Sakura sat up and rubbed the tears away fiercely, leaving red marks on her cheeks.

Natsume was so important to her.

She had always known that fact, but the pain she felt when he left last night had emphasized it.

The doorbell rang, breaking the silence in the room.

Mikan Sakura did not look up. It couldn't be Natsume.

"Baka, get out here with Natsume. Classes are starting soon." A monotonous voice rang outside the room softly, followed by a cheerful male voice, "Need help waking Natsume up, Mikan?"

_Hotaru and Ruka._

Mikan slid down the bed, sat on the cold, hard floor, and hugged her knees tightly. She wanted to be left alone now; she didn't want to explain anything.

"Mikan?" The doorbell rang again.

"I think she's still asleep." said Ruka Nogi softly.

"We'll see about that."

"You sound evil… Wait, don't raise your eyebrows like that- I'm sorry!" He raised his voice in alarm.

Then, the lock shifted and the door opened with a decided click, revealing the two figures outside.

Hotaru Imai held the gadget that had been used to open the door in her hands, her velvet orbs flickering as she cast a quick glance around the room. Ruka Nogi looked at her nervously before doing the same. The rabbit in his arms fidgeted restlessly.

The Special Star room was dim and cold. The curtains were drawn, glowing with a slight tinge of orange as the sunlight protested against it. The soft bed sheets were crumpled; the blanket had been pushed aside carelessly, forming a large lump with the pillows piled up on it.

Mikan and Natsume were nowhere to be seen.

Hotaru Imai blinked in surprise. Somehow, she had a bad feeling about this.

"Let's go, Ruka." She spoke slowly, thinking of the possible places to find them at the same time. Ruka nodded and smiled slightly, causing her to soften her expression and smile back.

The rabbit suddenly leaped out of his arms, as Ruka flinched in alarm and watched it scurry under the bed. There was only one direction for it to dart out; Ruka walked to the other side of the bed to catch it. He stopped abruptly.

Instead of the rabbit, Ruka found himself staring at the brunette they were looking for.

Her auburn hair draped across her shoulders, concealing her face. In the dark, she looked like a broken doll- Her shoulders trembled slightly as she let out a small sniff, which made him snap out of his trance.

"Mikan…?" Ruka beckoned to Hotaru and quickly knelt down beside Mikan, wrapping an arm around her gently, "What's wrong?"

He dreaded the answer, because a conclusion was already beginning to form in his head.

Hotaru Imai knelt in front of Mikan, her lavender eyes filled with concern.

"Ruka…" Mikan Sakura leaned towards the aforementioned slightly, allowing him to draw her into a soothing hug. She cried softly, her words nearly incoherent.

But he heard it.

"Natsume left."

His cerulean orbs widened in shock, even though he had half-expected it. His expression darkened as he loosened his hold around Mikan.

Hotaru Imai eyed Ruka briefly, before turning her gaze onto her best friend. It hurt to see the happy-go-lucky girl so depressed. She sighed softly, "Come here, baka."

"Hotaru..." Mikan Sakura lifted her head and let out a choked sob, as Hotaru hugged her tightly. The tears poured out uncontrollably; she could not uphold a façade in front of her closest friends.

Ruka leaned against the bed, closing his eyes in frustration.

"I should've gone with him," he murmured, "Natsume…"

Hotaru Imai's back stiffened, as she looked at him warily. His fists were clenched tightly, as if he was trying to hold on to something. She knew he was aching inside as much as Mikan. She knew he was blaming himself for not being able to protect Natsume.

But the thought of Ruka leaving still struck her; she could not imagine how life would be without him.

She was sure Ruka felt the same.

Ruka loved her just as Natsume loved Mikan.

Hotaru remembered the way Natsume looked at Mikan- His magnificent red orbs would soften with his affection for her hidden deep inside, as if she was the most precious thing to him in the world.

That had been enough to convince Hotaru that his love for Mikan was stronger than his hatred for the Academy.

So, why had he left so suddenly?

* * *

Natsume Hyuuga woke up in a start.

Bright light stabbed into his eyes, blinding him temporarily and he was forced to close them again.

His head throbbed as he opened his eyes slowly this time, allowing the white light to enter his vision gradually.

He lay still on the bed for a moment, and then he looked to his right. He caught sight of the complex instruments that reminded him of the Academy's hospital.

The setting was somewhat different compared to the Academy though, so it was impossible that he was still in the Academy.

Then where was he?

Light-headed, Natsume sat up slowly and pushed the thick blanket away, getting out of the bed. As his feet touched the floor, he stumbled and knelt down, holding onto the bed frame for support.

All the energy had drained out of his body, leaving him weak and dizzy.

Natsume noticed that apart from feeling slightly numb, his right shoulder had been neatly bandaged. _That sadist._ He grimaced at the deep wound Persona had inflicted on him.

The door opened, as a tall figure stepped in.

The footsteps drew closer, as Natsume waited for a few seconds to clear his disoriented mind. His heartbeat steadied; he could feel it thump against his chest lightly.

"You're awake."

The pleasant voice sounded oddly familiar and soothing to the ear, but the raven-haired boy's eyes lit in recognition- then disbelief.

Natsume looked up; it took all his strength to do so.

Reo Mori stared back with a hint of amusement in his amethyst-colored eyes- Natsume couldn't help noticing that they were a darker shade now- and leaned forward lazily, his sharp angular face dangerously close to Natsume.

He whispered in the fire caster's ear humorlessly, "Boo."

That simple word sent Natsume's head spinning as the voice-pheromone Alice sent a surge of hypnotic waves throughout his mind. Pride forbid him to collapse in front of Reo, and he clenched a fist so tightly that his fingernails dug through his palm and drew blood- the pain would will him to remain conscious.

It was obvious now that the AAO had saved him from Persona's wrath and brought him back to the headquarters. He was, after all, one of the elites in Alice Academy and a valuable asset; it would have been a waste to let him die.

Their next step -he deduced- would be to recruit him.

That was all he needed.

"You don't think it's funny. Your face says it all." Reo grinned devilishly, watching Natsume's half-closed eyes with light interest. He spoke normally this time, careful not to include any emotion in his voice, controlling the voice-pheromone Alice with ease.

"It's not." Natsume snapped sharply, his mind clearer to his relief. "Help me up."

"What?" Reo looked incredulous.

"Help me up." Natsume repeated, his blood red orbs glinting darkly, as if the same amusement in Reo's eyes moments ago had shifted to his own, "Might as well, since you bothered saving me."

Reo laughed quietly, and extended a hand towards Natsume. "Looks like you already know how to play the game."

Natsume eyed the hand with an unfathomable expression on his magnificent features. Mikan Sakura's face briefly touched his mind once again, and his heart ached slightly.

He reached out.

Reo grinned in satisfaction and took the fire caster's hand, hauling him up firmly.

"We don't completely trust you yet, though."

Natsume seemed unperturbed. "You'd be idiots if you did."

Reo ignored the comment and proceeded towards the door. "I'll bring you to the dorms now."

Natsume followed him out slowly. They walked towards the exit at the end of the corridor, as a large open space gradually came into view.

"In case you haven't noticed," Reo drawled lazily, "This is the main concourse."

Natsume shot a narrow glance at him.

The grand concourse connected all sections of the building with numerous entrances and doors. It was eerily quiet; save for a few people in black rushing past them now and then, ignoring them completely.

"They're off to complete missions." Reo explained curtly, "It's already past midnight."

Natsume frowned slightly. "How long have I slept?"

"Two days."

Once again, his thoughts wandered off to Mikan Sakura. What was she doing now? Was she safe? That little idiot must have cried her eyes out-

"Come _on_."

Natsume found himself standing in the dormitory entrance. The dormitory resembled that of a hotel; carpeted floors, narrow corridors with rooms lined on each side, and a lift at the far end.

They took the lift up to the fifth floor. From there, Reo led him straight and turned right into the second corridor. Natsume memorized their location subconsciously.

They stopped at a dead end, facing a room with the numbers 527 engraved on the door.

"This is your room." Reo handed him a key card, a wicked smile etched onto his face as he watched Natsume take it. "Have fun with your roommate."

Natsume glared, as if to say _thanks for the early notice._

Reo shrugged. "You'll really thank me for the early notice once you get in-"

The door opened and slammed shut, missing his face by inches.

He laughed.

* * *

Natsume Hyuuga slammed the door hard, slightly hoping it would have made contact with Reo's face.

The room was dark and gloomy- it was impossible to see anything. Cursing under his breath, he moved to turn the lights on.

"Don't."

Natsume froze.

* * *

**A/N**: I'm alive! Thank you for the support, dear readers and reviewers! :)


	4. Chapter 3: A Surge of Air

当世界只剩下这床头灯  
你那边是早晨已经出门  
我侧身感到你在转身  
无数陌生人正在等下一个绿灯

一再错失彼此脆弱的时分  
如果渴望一个吻的余温  
我关了灯 黑暗把我拼吞

你不在 当我最需要爱  
你却不在  
无尽等待像独白般难挨  
你不在 高兴还是悲哀  
你都不在  
我受了伤在偷偷好起来  
但你不在

**CHAPTER 3;**

**A Surge of Air ;**

* * *

_She ran, as far as her legs could take her._

_The rainforest surrounded her like a vulture circling around its prey. She heard nothing but the rush of the cool wind on her face, and the faint trickling of a small stream nearby._

_The thought of being alone gave her a slight chill in the stomach._

_Where was he…?_

_As she continued to run through the endless road, she dimly realized this was a dream, because she would've collapsed a long time ago given the distance she had ran._

_She stopped running._

"_Don't wake up."_

_Her eyes lit in recognition as she heard his familiar voice from behind, and relief washed upon her immediately, followed by the impulse to turn around straightaway._

_He stopped her; drawing her into a gentle embrace._

"_Natsume…" She murmured, but to her surprise, no sound came out of her throat. Nevertheless, he seemed to have heard as he tightened his arms around her, his soft black hair tickling her neck slightly._

_She closed her eyes, savoring his touch and the moment of security._

"_Mikan," He whispered in her ear. She didn't reply, knowing he was just calling her name in contentment._

_Opening her eyes, she noticed the rays of sunlight that seeped through the forest beside her feet, as specks of dust floated in the air almost lazily. But the observations were only done subconsciously, she was very much aware of the strong arms that held her so closely._

_It felt like eternity._

_She wanted it to be._

_His pressed his lips against her neck tenderly._

_The moment he did, the scenery around her started to blur and fade, slowly brightening into nothingness. No… Alarm rose in her chest. She willed herself frantically not to wake up._

_But everything was dying off, except the warmth of his arms around her. Finally, he let out an inaudible sigh behind her, as he slowly loosened his grip on her._

"_Be safe." She thought she heard him murmur._

_The last thing she felt was a cold tear trickling down her cheek…_

* * *

Mikan Sakura opened her eyes.

A dim light spread across the room, emanating a cozy aura. The blanket felt soft and warm on her feet. Her eyes traveled towards the clock on the wall- it was three in the morning.

She flipped onto her side, facing a sleeping Hotaru Imai.

Ever since Natsume left, her best friend had moved in without saying a word, and slept beside her every night. She was grateful of Hotaru's thoughtfulness, and it kept her aching heart warm.

Mikan reached out for Hotaru's hand, holding it lightly.

Hotaru Imai stirred almost immediately, opening her velvet-colored eyes. Mikan's sad smile came into her view.

"I'm sorry I woke you."

"Baka." The raven-haired girl sighed inwardly; nevertheless, she tightened her grip on Mikan's hand.

"Neh, Hotaru." Mikan Sakura shifted closer to her best friend and buried her face into a pillow, "Will he come back?"

"I don't know."

A comfortable silence ensued between them.

"I miss him." Mikan's muffled voice was almost incoherent.

"But you're going to have to stop all of this soon." said Hotaru Imai firmly, "Mikan, you're not being yourself."

"…" Mikan didn't move.

"No one wants to see you like that- not even him."

This time, Hotaru Imai felt the hand linked with hers tremble slightly.

* * *

"What," The voice demanded coolly across the room, "do you think you're doing in my room?"

Natsume Hyuuga felt a slight pressure on his back, and knew that one move would send him flying through the wall. He tightened his fist and inhaled slowly.

Then he ducked, as fast as lightning, whirling around on his feet, and threw a ball of fire across the room as the wall behind him dented a fraction at the same time.

He heard the person inhale sharply, and could tell that she was as shocked as he was.

A surge of air pierced towards him like an arrow, and for a second he thought she was attacking him again, but it missed his cheek by a few inches and hit the switch on the wall, turning the lights on.

White light stabbed into his eyes, but being trained he gazed across the room unblinkingly, into the eyes of Yui Hana.

Yui Hana's face was a mixture of shock and disbelief. Her cold aura washed over him as if he'd woken from a nightmare, it was somehow deadlier than the last time he'd seen her. Of course, the last time he'd seen her, he thought that he would never see her again. Natsume clenched his fists subconsciously and fought the urge to avert his gaze and walk out of the room.

"Natsume." Yui spoke softly, her stunning features glowing slightly under the fluorescent light. "What the hell are you doing here?"

She had become expressionless, and he suddenly noticed that she was sitting on her bed, propped up against the wall for support. She didn't look well: her face was pale and her cheeks were flushed.

Well, he didn't care.

"It's none of your business, actually." Natsume paused, "And you are obviously not the reason."

A look of surprise flickered across her face, and she laughed mirthlessly, "Natsume Hyuuga, it really is you."

Natsume ignored her, and walked towards the bed beside him. There were two beds in the room, each positioned at the far ends of the room, and his was close to the door.

"How did you end up here?" Yui sneered, "Don't tell me, Mikan Sakura is here somewhere, and you have to save that troublesome thing again."

Natsume moved, and in a second he was in front of Yui, his hand blazing with fire. The fire never seemed to burn him, Yui thought amusedly, as she threw up her right hand to block his attack, a layer of air shielding her skin.

As she lifted her head to say something sarcastic, words died in her throat as she caught sight of his eyes. The magnificent ruby eyes were blazing with fury; they were the same eyes she remembered looking at in the warehouse.

Then everything had blown up right at her face, engulfing her instantly.

Yui gasped, all of her strength lost like a burst balloon. Natsume forced her arm down with sudden ease, and it pressed on her throat, choking her slightly.

"Don't. Ever. Say. Her. Name." He snarled, word by word, hardly noticing her pale face and cold sweat that trickled down her forehead.

But Yui wasn't listening. She felt her heart contract and pound against her rib cage, and black spots dotted her vision. She clutched at her heart with a free hand, sliding down the wall and gasping for breath.

Natsume frowned slightly, letting go of her as she curled on the bed, whimpering. It looked as if she was pretending, but then he noticed that her fingernails had taken on a purple shade, and she gasped for air like a fish without water.

Then she started to cough loudly, and blood splattered on the white bed sheet. Natsume widened his eyes and reached out, but was thrown backwards by a sudden force, landing on his feet.

Yui opened her sapphire eyes, still coughing weakly as she struggled to prop herself up against the wall. "Don't touch me," she whispered.

Natsume stood up, watching carefully as Yui slowly caught her breath. Then she lifted a hand, and brought it down in a swiping movement.

The centre of the floor cracked into a line, then it erupted, as fragments of tile spurted out like a small fountain, creating a visible dent in the floor.

"Don't cross the line."

He rolled his eyes, "You could've just used a crayon."

* * *

"So, where's Natsume?"

Ruka stroked the rabbit in his arms nonchalantly, his mind working hard to think of an excuse that was good enough for them to not question further. "He's feeling lazy- lazier today."

"So he's skipping classes for the _whole _day?" The group of boys surrounded him inquisitively, and Mochu jabbed a finger towards the front row of the classroom. "This is new, doesn't he want to be with her?"

Ruka didn't have to look to know who he was referring to. It was too unusual for Natsume to be separated from Mikan: They were practically together like a 24-hour convenience store.

"Mikan looks different today." Mochu continued to speculate while stroking his chin, "Could it be that… they broke up?"

Ruka kicked him, "Don't be stupid. They… they just need some… space." He finished lamely.

"Ah… So it's the famous space-breakup." Mochu nodded, earning another frustrated kick from Ruka.

Koko grinned mischievously and attempted to read Ruka's mind, but collided with a blank wall instead. He looked up dismally, as Ruka sighed in relief. Mikan had given him a Nullifying Stone for his birthday.

"Fine." He pretended to snap, and lowered his voice until the boys had to bend forward to listen, "It's true. They broke up last night. Natsume doesn't want to see Mikan's face."

The boys nodded in false comprehension. It seemed to them that whatever Natsume did was unquestionably the right thing to do, Ruka thought amusedly.

"Well, don't say a word about this to anyone." He said solemnly, "Natsume would be irritated if people kept bombarding him with questions."

They shuddered at the thought of Natsume being irritated.

"But Mikan _is _taking this pretty well," Mochu muttered, gazing across the classroom. "I mean, she liked Natsume so much, surely she would've been wagging her tail and following him everywhere by now, begging him to take her back."

Ruka followed his gaze and stifled a cough. "Mikan's _seventeen_. She's mature enough. Anyway, I'm off to look for Hotaru."

Hotaru had disappeared, leaving Mikan sitting alone in the classroom. He sat beside her, unsure of what to say. "Hey."

Mikan didn't answer; she seemed lost in thought as her hair covered part of her face. Ruka patted her shoulder, and frowned slightly.

Her shoulder felt cold and hard like metal, or maybe it was just his imagination. He hadn't slept much since Natsume left. But when Koko passed by and tripped accidentally, knocking into him and causing his face to smash into Mikan's shoulder, he knew it wasn't an illusion when his nose started to bleed.

"OW!" He yelled and cursed under his breath, covering his injured nose and jumping away from Mikan. "Mikan! You-"

Mikan finally looked up worriedly, and at the sight of his nose bleeding, she gasped in horror and stood up abruptly, causing Ruka to retreat a few more steps. "Ruka-san! I'm so sorry!"

"Your arm! It's made out of metal!" He exclaimed in a muffled voice, "And what did you call me just now?!"

"Ru-Ruka?" She amended quickly, but not quick enough.

"AMANATSU!"

"Oh, no… You found out!" Amanatsu wailed in her robotic voice, fishing a handkerchief out of her pocket. She passed it to Ruka. "Hotaru-san is going to be angrier now!"

"Of course I found out! You just broke my nose with your arm!"

"What am I going to do?! Hotaru-san will be furious!"

"Where in the world," Ruka demanded, lifting his head up stop the bleeding as Amanatsu fussed over him comically, "are Mikan and Hotaru?"

Amanatsu hesitated, then leaned over to whisper robotically in his ear. "Mikan-san asked me to impersonate her this morning, so I did. Then Hotaru-san found out just now and stormed out to look for her!"

"But why would Mikan…" Ruka murmured, and widened his eyes. "Oh, shit…"

He raced out of the classroom.

* * *

It was a windy day in the Academy.

Under the Sakura tree stood a girl and a man in a black cloak.

"I'm surprised that you would look for me." Persona drawled. Despite standing under the shade, his white mask glittered like diamonds under the sun. "Are you sure you've got the right person?"

Mikan looked at him with unsuppressed hatred- he was after all the main reason Natsume had left. "Persona."

The aforementioned eyed her curiously, as a malicious smirk graced his thin lips.

"Train me," Mikan finally said, "Train me- and let me take Natsume's place as one of the elites."

* * *

**A/N: **I finally finished this chapter and un-stucked myself. I'm terribly sorry it took so long. Readers and reviewers, **thank you so much** for the support. I love you all! (:


	5. Chapter 4: Training Grounds

还没好好的感受  
雪花绽放的气候  
我们一起颤抖会更明白  
什么是温柔

还没跟你牵著手  
走过荒芜的沙丘  
可能从此以后学会珍惜  
天长和地久

有时候有时候  
我会相信一切有尽头  
相聚离开都有时候  
没有什么会永垂不朽

可是我有时候  
宁愿选择留恋不放手  
等到风景都看透  
也许你会陪我看细水长流

**CHAPTER 4;**

**Training Grounds ;**

* * *

The only thing about the Anti Alice Organization that was better than the Academy, Natsume thought dryly, was the freedom they gave you.

When you weren't out completing missions, you were free to do anything you wanted. Unlike the Academy, the Organization was all about survival and climbing to the top, and Natsume knew exactly what to do. That was, after all, what he had been doing his whole life.

In the Academy, the training facilities were situated underground with limited space; even so, the training had to be done at night. The AAO was all about fighting those people though, so it didn't matter that their training grounds were built openly outside the headquarters.

As Natsume entered the training grounds, a figure whizzed past him with flashing speed, but his stance made it apparent that he had been tossed out of the way like a rag doll.

The boy collided hard with the ground and stayed down for a moment, swearing loudly. "That was dirty, bitch!"

"Haru!" Another figure shot past Natsume, it was a girl this time, with long flaming red hair that flowed in soft curls. She stopped and knelt beside the injured boy and glared at the same direction the boy had been throwing curses to. Just as she was about to help him up, a gust of wind in the form of a mini tornado rushed towards her with reasonable speed, forcing her to let go of the boy and leap away. The boy hit the ground again and sighed. "It's okay, leave me."

The red-haired girl landed beside Natsume in a crouch and eyed him briefly, "I haven't seen you around before. Are you new?"

Before he could answer, the boy called Haru who was watching them yelled out loud at her, "Rika, watch out!"

And Yui was suddenly standing in front of them. She laughed and reached out, touching Rika's neck briefly. "Is that your new move? Flirting with new boys?"

Rika's dark eyes widened as the air rushed out of her throat at an alarming rate, causing her to blackout for a second before she instinctively staggered back. As Yui moved towards her menacingly, Natsume reacted instinctively and pulled Rika out of the way, creating a distance between them as fire erupted midair.

"You did not just do that." Haru finally got up, his eyes dark and dangerous now, as Natsume realized that he bore a striking resemblance to Rika. He spoke slowly and deliberately. "That's an assassination move. It's against the rules to use it while training. What is wrong with you?"

"Betting your life is the most effective way of training." Yui countered smoothly as she examined her palm, unresponsive to his anger. "Or were you under the false impression that the enemy is going to be weaker than me and spare your life, Haru?"

"Enough." Haru let out a snarl and wrenched something away from his neck; it was a controlling device. "Don't get too cocky, Yui. You remove your controlling devices and play with all your cards on the table, when you're just a broken doll."

As he spoke, the ground started to shiver slightly. As if she had realized something, Yui leapt away as the ground under her erupted into sand, but wasn't fast enough- Haru appeared behind her back before she landed and clenched his fist, apparently controlling the sand as it wrapped around her legs, immobilizing her.

"Haru, stop." Rika's face was slightly pale, as she walked over and picked his controlling device up. "You'll hurt yourself."

Haru ignored her and took a step forward, causing Yui to stumble forward as her cheek slammed against the ground. However his anger had seemingly subsided, as he drawled lazily, "Something's definitely up. You're so distant today."

"Release me," Yui spat.

Haru shrugged and retrieved the controlling device from Rika, turning to Natsume. "Thanks for just now. That's a pretty good Alice you've got there."

"So is yours," replied Natsume shortly.

"None can compare with the girl who has the Bitch Alice." Haru laughed, before wearing his controlling device and freeing Yui. His hostility towards her retracted, making it obvious that it was Yui who had acted out of the norm just now. "This girl is so unpredictable, she could be belly dancing in front of you tomorrow."

Yui shot him a glare and got up, knocking into his shoulder in the process.

"She's going to dislocate my shoulder one day," Haru rolled his eyes as Rika's expression darkened. "What's your name?"

"Hyuuga. Natsume Hyuuga."

There was an awkward pause. Comprehension flickered in Haru's dark green eyes, as he recalled the flame that burst out of Natsume's palm earlier when he saved Rika. "You're the Black Cat." _You're the one from her last mission she was so interested in._

Natsume looked indifferent, "I'm not the Black Cat, anymore."

Before Haru could say anything, Rika suddenly stepped forward and smiled sweetly. "I'm Rika, and this is my brother, Haru. Nice to meet you, Natsume." she stretched her arms out towards him, as if he were a long lost friend, "Thank you for saving me, just now."

"What the hell, Rika!" Haru grabbed her by the back collar and dragged her out of Natsume's reach, "Don't harass him on first sight!"

* * *

_As her footsteps resonated in the hotel-like dormitory halls, he opened his eyes lazily and watched as the door clicked open, revealing a girl with jet black hair and sapphire blue eyes. She wore a school uniform, which was a rare sight, but it suited her so well, he thought._

"_You're back," he yawned, "How was it, being a student in that pretentious school?"_

_She smirked, her eyes bright. "There are many pretty girls there, Haru."_

"_Then maybe I should request to be on the same mission as you," he feigned interest half-heartedly, "It has to be a coincidence that I always get the crappy ones."_

"_You're mad." Yui opened the closet and started to undress, as he looked away habitually, "The missions you get are gold."_

_He snorted, "Knowing that I'm the assassinator on my team… you're such a sadist, don't you think?"_

_She appeared on the other side of the bed in a large T-shirt reaching her thighs, exposing her slender legs. "Maybe I am," she slipped into bed, under the same comforter as him, "But you're on the peak of your missions now, and once you succeed in completing them you'll be recommended by Reo to join the strongest team."_

_He would be the youngest of their batch to reach the top in such a short period of time._

"_Jealous, Yui?" he turned towards her and reached out for her hair playfully, as she smacked his hand away, "Wouldn't you be lonely if I climbed upwards?"_

"_No. At least, not for now." she smiled to herself, as his heart contracted slightly. To think that she could actually be serious about that person she just met made his temple throb. He couldn't recall that person's name, but he knew it was the feared Black Cat they occasionally met on missions. He was always cautious while dealing with him, refraining from engaging him in a fight unless it was absolutely necessary. When he heard that Yui had been assigned to deal with him on this mission, he'd strongly objected, but to no avail. And then she'd come back so excited about him, apparently because he was different from all the boys she had met before._

_He sighed inwardly, "You'll get hurt, if you play too closely with fire."_

"_Jealous, Haru?" she murmured, closing her eyes tiredly. "Wouldn't you be lonely, if I fell in love with him…"_

_Knowing that she had fallen asleep, he leaned forward and drew the blanket tightly over her shoulders, his lips brushing over her forehead. "Of course I would, idiot."_

_A month later, he found himself standing outside the Intensive Care Unit of the Organization, clenching his fists as she fought for her life inside. His trained rational instincts told him that no one was to be blamed, not even the Black Cat since she was the one who failed, but as he was finally taken away to complete a mission, his eyes turned sharp as steel upon seeing his victim._

"_This is your last mission as a regular. After this, you'll be fighting for a position in the elite teams. Choose the team and position you wish to enter, and we'll arrange a battle for you one week later."_

"_Team Zero." he replied. "The executor."_

_That night, he created such a fearsome bloodshed that even the Organization had to intervene and hold him back for the first time. He didn't regret his actions until much later._

_To him, it had been necessary. He had to let it out, somehow. All those worries, all that anger._

_All those unwanted emotions._

* * *

It was late afternoon when Natsume, Yui, and Rika sat outside the training grounds, watching Haru engage an unknown Alice in a duel.

Natsume was hardly listening as Rika chatted amiably beside him.

"The elites of the Organization work individually, but they also team up for more complex missions. Each division consists of three roles; strategists, executors, and assassinators. There are teams within teams when it comes to missions; you'll understand after doing it for a while. The strategist strategizes each mission, obviously, and the executors carry them out alongside the assassinator, however the assassinator's sole purpose is to kill when necessary.

"In the Organization, the divisions are ranked and constantly switch members depending on their performance. The higher the rank, the stronger the division is, the strongest being Team Zero. Haru recently became an executor of Team Zero, so he's been targeted frequently by other members. If any of them manage to beat him, he might lose his position and get swapped down."

Natsume thought of the scene where Haru was flung by Yui when he first entered the training grounds. Rika, watching him, seemed to have read his mind as she laughed humorlessly, "Haru's never serious with Yui, though."

Yui just stared ahead, ignoring her. Natsume frowned slightly, as if trying to comprehend something.

"I'm going to get a drink." Rika stood up and blew a kiss to Natsume.

Once she was out of earshot, Natsume turned towards Yui, and she replied flatly as if he had already asked. "Let Rika flirt with you until she gives up. It'll do her some good, even more so if you show a bit of response."

"I'm not interested in doing charity." Natsume said.

"Of course not," Yui's lips curled into a hard smile, "Because the only girl you've ever cared about is Mikan Sakura. Why should you care about Rika's little drama of falling in love with her own brother? Why think of helping her seeing as she's trying by all means to give up on Haru?"

"You're actually twisting this whole thing into my responsibility, considering I've only just met them this morning."

"I only assumed you had nothing else better to do besides brooding over the same girl every second."

"And being the good friend you are, you've got your hands full standing on the sidelines?" Natsume's voice dripped with acid sarcasm.

"Rika hates me, Natsume." Yui said matter-of-factly, "And even if she didn't, there are no 'friends' in the Organization. This is the real world, the things we learn are all about deception and manipulation, unlike that sheltered Academy which teaches you the Art of Gullibility-"

"Having friends doesn't make you gullible," Natsume cut her off, as Ruka's face flashed into his mind briefly. "That's an excuse, no matter how you put it. Getting betrayed just shows how terrible you were at picking friends."

Yui finally turned towards him and looked him in the eye. Her icy gaze captured the defined contours of his face, the sharp red eyes, and his soft black hair. She laughed quietly, "I guess that applies to love, too."

Natsume suddenly felt a pang of guilt out of nowhere. Being with Mikan so long had somewhat softened his heart, he thought grimly.

"If you weren't such a bitch," he lowered his voice too, as if affected by her sudden change of mood, "I would apologize." _For not being able to reciprocate your feelings._

"That's enough for me," she whispered, inclining closer towards him. Natsume leaned forward, evading her tactfully, "Don't be stupid, Hana."

"That's not my real last name, actually."

"I'm not surprised."

"In fact, I don't have one. I never knew my parents. They _died_," Yui snorted, "So I was told. I grew up hearing all the subtle excuses of them dumping me."

Natsume fell silent, realizing that he had just begun to know this seemingly cold and manipulative girl.

"You two look like you're getting along well."

They whipped around to find Reo and his teleporting agent standing behind them, with an amused smirk gracing his lips. "Yui and Natsume, you're paying a visit to Team Zero."

Yui cast a glance at Haru from a distance, who stood over his defeated opponent lazily. An agent appeared beside him, leaning over to whisper in his ear promptly. He nodded slightly and allowed himself to be teleported away.

"Reo," she started, "I'm not-"

"I know." Reo's tone was firm, albeit a bit reluctant. "You'll have to deal with it. I wasn't the one who recommended you." He turned towards his teleporting agent and made a brief gesture as the agent stepped forward. A white glow started to spread under their feet rapidly as the landscape faded and changed.

* * *

The next moment, they were standing in a completely white room. Natsume saw nothing but white at first, thinking that they were still teleporting, but it became evident that they had already reached their destination as he observed his surroundings.

_This is a battle room_, he realized, as he quickly gauged the space in the room. They were standing in a large rectangular box line which resembled that of a basketball court.

Then he felt it.

The killer instinct hanging in the air was so strong that he felt it seeping into the roots of his heart like a cold swamp. A small thought flashed in his mind, wondering why he hadn't detected it earlier. His eyes took on a darker red tint involuntarily, as he slowly looked towards the source of his blood thirst.

Watching them from 5 meters away was Team Zero.

* * *

**A/N: Dear readers, it's really been a long while. A lot has happened, things have been hectic and I'm sorry I kept a lot of you hanging by the thread. As usual, thank you for reading and reviewing this story. Also, surprisingly I'm still receiving reviews on Hold Me Tight And Never Let Go! Hopefully I didn't let you down in this chapter. I will finish The Stray Cat In The Alley, I promise, but I can't guarantee when the next update will be. I've read every single review and private message from all of you, and I want you to know that it is your encouraging words that keeps me going whenever I write. :)**

**You might have noticed I've been inserting Chinese lyrics at the beginning of each chapter. For those who can read and understand it, good on you. Chinese is a language just as wonderful as English :)**

**Bless all of you.**

**With all my love,**

** xx**


	6. Chapter 5: Team Zero

春天慢慢一点点发芽  
快乐开始都有了想像  
城市光合作用的模样  
幸福开始组装

夜里满园的茉莉花香  
月光洒落看不见忧伤  
旋转木马前那个广场  
爱情开始滋长

想你有时会缺氧  
嘴角不自觉上扬  
这是不是幸福的症状  
不知不觉又缺氧

**CHAPTER 5;**

**Team Zero ;**

* * *

Team Zero was destructive by nature.

Natsume could tell as their eyes scanned him like a tiger stalking its prey.

The room was spacious with only a long sofa situated in the corner. There were roughly nine people huddled around that sofa, few of them still in black fighting gear. Natsume eyed them carefully, despite the invisible tension weighing in the space of the room. Every member in Team Zero looked perfectly compatible with each other; the boys were lean and tall, and the girls were slender and sharp-eyed.

He spotted Haru amongst them immediately. The humorous twinkle in Haru's eyes earlier had disappeared. There was a guarded expression on his face even though he did not seem to be paying attention.

They seemed to be waiting for someone.

Reo started, "Where is-"

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud tearing noise in front of the sofa, as a figure suddenly appeared midair and landed lightly in a crouch.

It was a dark-haired boy. He stood up slowly, his hand shaking a little; nevertheless there was no trace of fatigue on his movement. His back faced Natsume, with a velvet bag slung against his shoulder.

Team Zero looked at him silently. The only apparent injury on him was a deep cut on his left cheek, causing it to be smeared with blood. A familiar look of satisfaction not yet worn off from the mission made them realize that his opponents must have faced dire consequences.

"Shouta, let me heal that for you." A beautiful girl with short white hair stepped forward, and he nodded. As she walked to his side, he stretched an arm out to her waist and pulled her close. She seemed used to this gesture, calmly lifting her chin and blowing at his cheek gently. The blood stopped dripping and dried up, leaving a clean cut across his face. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against it, as the thin line began to disappear without trace. The boy tightened his grip on her.

"Sometimes I think you're lying, Aya," he said nonchalantly, "when you say your Alice is channeled through your lips."

"You've seen it for yourself."

"I think there's a cut on my lip, too." he murmured.

Reo cleared his throat loudly. The boy finally turned towards them.

His hair was jet black, just like Yui's, and the features on his pale face were so refined that it was hard to gaze away from him. Almost everything about him was black, from his black shoes to his black jacket, and to his black eyes ― something unfathomable in his eyes made even curious ones hesitant to know. There was such underlying smoothness in his tone that Natsume knew instinctively that he was the leader of the team.

He also knew that aside from Mikan Sakura, all beautiful things were dangerous.

Letting go of Aya, Shouta leaned forward in a slight bow, and even that humble gesture did not manage to reduce his charisma by seemingly an inch. Reo nodded as if it were a custom, "Shouta, I've brought them here."

"In return, I have something for you." he tossed the bag he was holding to Reo, "There are eight Alice stones in there. My teleporting agent was caught, so I used two of them to come back."

"You didn't bring him back?" Reo asked sharply, "What if they extract information out of him?"

"He tried to escape without me." Shouta said matter-of-factly, "Instead of bringing a liability back, I erased his memories."

"The organization will not tolerate betrayal." Reo paused, "you made the right choice."

He nodded dismissively and turned to scrutinize Yui and Natsume, "It's been a long time, Yui," he said, "I've missed you."

Yui replied flatly, "That's good to know."

"You never change, little ice cu-"

"_Shouta_," Yui cut him off with a warning look on her face. He laughed, "We'll start. Take your pick."

Reo beckoned to Yui and said under his breath, "Choose your opponent wisely."

She shot back, "Aya."

The white-haired girl named Aya reached out and tugged at Shouta's fingers lightly. He held that hand tightly in response.

"Aya?" he said lightly, "A smart choice considering that she has a healing Alice, but you can't fight her, unfortunately."

"Why not?" Yui demanded.

"She belongs with me." he replied slowly, "So when you challenge her, you are indirectly challenging me. Do you really want to do that?"

Yui clenched her fists, but knew he was right. She was not in the best condition to fight now, and even if she was Shouta was too strong for her. She smiled in mock amusement; anyone she fought here would probably result in her lying in the hospital for months.

Besides, the way Shouta protected Aya reminded her of Natsume's protective arms over Mikan. She bit her lip, slightly lost in thought.

Natsume stared at Yui's resigned face. The scene of her on the bed choking for air suddenly flashed in his mind. Without thinking much, he said, "There will only be one fight, today."

Everyone turned their gazes to him. A sharp hint of interest glinted in Shouta's eyes.

Natsume exhaled slowly and said, "Because she is with me today. Her fights are mine."

Yui widened her ice-blue eyes in disbelief. On the other side of the room, Haru stood rigidly, equally shocked.

* * *

"Potential, by definition, is something you don't have."

Mikan did some breathing exercises in her head.

"Discipline, is something you definitely have no knowledge of."

The breathing exercises stopped working abruptly. She started to count sheep instead.

"Although I haven't the slightest idea of why you were entrusted to me, I shall sacrifice my time and effort to avoid an embarrassing outcome. Mikan Sakura, do a somersault if you are listening."

Her patience popped out swifter than a balloon. "How am I supposed to do that while I'm being tied to a chair?"

"Naturally, people who do not have the potential are unable to somersault with a chair-"

"JIN-JIN!" she yelled at the man who was waving his wand absent-mindedly, "For Christ's sake, let me out already! I'm starving."

"You've only been here for 15 minutes." he pointed out.

Mikan rolled her eyes as her head lolled backwards.

A vein pulsed on Jinno's forehead, "I was less dramatic at your age."

She continued to play dead.

"Listen up, you ball of trouble, if I didn't owe Narumi a favour we'd both be ten miles away from each other," he glared at her, "When that idiot says to wait for him for half an hour, we wait for at least an hour."

Mikan opened her eyes and stared at the wall dejectedly, "I can't believe Narumi-sensei locked us in here."

"He locked _you_ in here. I'm watching over _you_."

They were in a store room that smelled strongly of wild mushrooms. She watched as the sunlight pierced through the high glass window, shining on the bits of dust suspended midair.

"Did you expect him to hold a tea party for you and Persona when he saw both of you together?" Jinno demanded, "Which reminds me- what were you doing with that person?"

When Narumi had brushed past him without saying a word this afternoon, he turned around curiously and saw Mikan and Persona under the Sakura tree. Narumi had walked over and exchanged a few words with Persona, finally dragging Mikan away with a troubled look on his face.

_He had to notice me after that, _Jinno thought grimly.

"I wanted a favour." Mikan shook her head and inhaled, "Guess it was stupid, after all."

Her expression looked so pained that Jinno swallowed his sarcastic comment and coughed loudly.

"You're too young and stupid to realize how young and stupid you are."

* * *

_"Natsume, I smell mushrooms."_

_"Lock the door behind you."_

_As they stumbled into the storage room quietly, Mikan looked around and continued to sniff the air, wrinkling her nose slightly. Natsume didn't seem to care._

_"It's pretty warm and cosy, though."_

_"Mhmm." he kicked a few empty boxes out of the way as she held his wrist with both hands cautiously. They sat down below an open window and listened closely._

_Distant screams echoed faintly across the field outside._

_"They're still looking for you." Mikan giggled._

_"It's annoying." Natsume closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall, "We can probably go back to the dorms only at night."_

_She sighed, "The thousand hearts you break on this date each year."_

_He lifted an eyebrow amusedly, "I could entertain them, if you want."_

_Mikan quickly smiled sweetly and clung onto his arm, "Valentine's Day falls into two categories after all- expressing unrequited feelings or mutual feelings."_

_"I-diot."_

_"You have to bring me out on a date," she pouted, "I want Fluff Puffs."_

_Natsume looked as if he had a headache, "You just ate them yesterday."_

_"Ha! You said it yourself." Mikan looked triumphant, "I haven't eaten any today."_

_"…"_

_She laughed and collapsed into his arms, looking into his eyes. It reminded her of the deep red sunset. He smiled slightly, all the cool pretense stripped off his facial expression. She lifted a hand and touched his warm cheek, as he closed his eyes in contentment._

_"I must have done something so right to be able to meet you," she whispered._

_"… Probably three lifetimes of karma there." he caught her lips._

_"Are you serious?" Mikan teased, "_Three?_"_

_"I knew it was more than that."_

_She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. He scooped her up and walked towards the door as she held on tighter, "Where are we going?"_

_"To get your Fluff Puffs, idiot."_

_"Right."_

_"You forgot, didn't you."_

_"Of course not-"_

_"Mikan." Natsume suddenly looked thoughtful, "If your theory is correct by chance…"_

… must have done something so right to be able to meet you-

_She looked up at him indignantly as his quiet laughter rang in her ears._

_"I promise to do everything right. Always."_

* * *

"I promise to do everything right too…" Mikan choked, her voice caught in her throat.

"What?"

"… I guess I'll take advantage of being young and stupid, after all." Recovering, Mikan turned to smile at Jinno, her eyes shining. "Jin-Jin, you give the best advice…"

He looked helpless, "It was an observation."

"I'll find him, but I don't need Persona's help." she thought hard and bit her lip, rocking on her chair excitedly, "Jin-Jin, quick, let me out now, I've learned my lesson!"

"What lesson? Stop calling me Jin-Jin and we'll talk."

* * *

His searing flames took the form of sharp blades.

Yui watched as Natsume directed them with a swift movement of his arm, the speed of the flames equivalent to the force of that gesture. He seemed to improve every time she saw him, given the level he had already achieved.

_"Her fights are mine."_

She looked away reflexively, feeling her cheeks burn. He had pitied her- and there was nothing else in the world she hated more than that- but it penetrated so deep into her heart that she wasn't sure what that wave of insecurity meant.

Relationships like such were not banned in the organization, but were very volatile. Best friends yesterday could be stabbing each other on the back today, and even lovers today could be separated tomorrow. Haru used to back her up, but they were always careful and reserved as to avoid losing that balance. There were very few exceptions like Shouta and Aya.

She doubted Natsume would take a bullet for her, yet he had stood up for her despite the hostility between them.

Natsume took measured breaths as his opponent struggled to get up. The girl had put up a good fight, and as a sign his Alice was starting to take its toll on his body.

He caught Yui staring at him from the corner of his eye.

Had he done the right thing? Her fight was going to be unfair, no matter which way he put it.

"I can still fight, you know." the girl in front of him panted, with sharp annoyance in her tone, "Don't give me that complacent look-"

Without warning, they detected sudden movement and snapped their heads toward the puddle of blood in between them. A thin stream of blood had detached itself from the puddle and was slowly drawing a line between them. The girl looked at Shouta, bewildered.

Shouta abruptly stopped playing with the dagger in his hand, "We've seen enough. Aya…"

Aya stood up from the sofa. She walked over to the girl and gave her a pill. The girl took it resignedly.

"What is that?" Natsume demanded.

Aya turned to him, slightly surprised. He looked into her silver eyes directly, and she noticed that the battling flame in his eyes had not died down yet.

"Those who leave Team Zero have to leave their memories of it behind, too."

Her voice was crystal clear and captivating, stunning Natsume for a few seconds. Judging from her facial expression he had not expected her to speak.

Shouta said, "Welcome to Team Zero, Natsume. As for Yui, I think we can arrange a place for her, too."

"That doesn't go by the rules, Shouta." A member immediately protested fiercely, "We all know your affiliations with Yui, but-"

"I don't intend to change the number of team members, Ren." Shouta's eyes were dark with amusement, "If someone enters, obviously someone else will be leaving."

"She hasn't fought any of us."

"Some fights are unnecessary," he seemed lazy to explain, but nodded at one of the teleporting agents, "We're short of a member, anyway."

The teleporting agent disappeared, and within a few seconds, emerged with another figure. The figure stumbled onto his knees upon reaching the ground. His wrists were tied up with invisible ropes, but caked with dried blood.

Ren clenched his fists as he recognized the boy. "He's a spy?"

"He's tied up, as you can see." Shouta said patiently, "We've erased his memories, except for evidence that he's a traitor."

"I apologize, Shouta."

"Besides, if Yui is that weak," Shouta drawled, "we'll know in a few days, when the challenges come."

Ten metres away, Haru's gaze slid from Natsume to Yui's troubled expression, with a slight ache in his heart. He wanted to laugh at himself.

_I was going to give up my position for you, you stupid girl. To think he beat me to it..._

* * *

It was exceptionally dark in the room that night.

Yui lay silently on her bed as her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness.

She turned, her body facing the bed across the room. The silhouette on the bed was unmoving, but she knew he wasn't asleep.

"Natsume."

He didn't answer.

"Why did you do that?"

They both knew that she was referring to his words a while ago.

Moonlight shone through the window without curtains, falling onto the crack in the floor that she had created earlier.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Natsume threw the question back at her, "Why did I do _what_?"

She fell silent, unsure of what to say.

"Just forget it." he sounded tired, "Having to deal with Team Zero is enough for one day."

_Forget it?_ A laugh echoed in her mind. She couldn't possibly let those words slip; neither did she want to.

"Besides, it wasn't necessary in the end. Shouta helped you."

Yui said dryly, "That's because I helped him out once."

Natsume looked at her questioningly. She propped both arms onto her pillow and adjusted herself into a more comfortable position.

"This has to do with Shouta and Aya's story."

"We were all in the same training batch – Shouta, Aya, Rika, Haru and I. Aya was quiet but very popular because of her beauty; you rarely saw her alone. She was always approached by our seniors, but never entertained any of them. The boys were always fighting to protect her because of her Alice, and frequently went to her with injuries, hoping that she would heal them. Shouta, on the other hand, was every girl's dream. He had a wild charisma that no one could ever come close to. Back then, he only showed a fraction of his Alice, so everyone had the impression that his powers were merely average. No one knew that he was only waiting for the right timing.

"Shouta had never shown interest towards Aya and they had never crossed paths, but one day, the seniors heard a rumor that he was starting to court her. They deduced that if anyone could win Aya's heart, it would be Shouta. Not bothering to confirm the rumor, ten of them surrounded him and forced him to accept their challenge. We tried to intervene, but they set barriers between us and Shouta, and another one to prevent us from leaving the grounds. We watched as they almost killed him. We could see that they were not only venting their anger at him because of Aya. They felt threatened by his presence and wanted to teach him a lesson.

"But I saw Shouta smile. He had lost too quickly, even for his expected standards. Only a few noticed, but his eyes were sparkling, as if he were laughing at them quietly. He lay calmly on the ground, it almost looked like he was resting despite being covered with blood, and there was no despair in his eyes at all. One of the seniors must have noticed, because in a rage he tried to deliver a killing blow. I finally saw Shouta's gaze turn sharp.

"But before the senior could land the blow, there was commotion on our side. Aya suddenly collapsed to the ground. That drew all the seniors' attention. They removed the barriers and rushed toward her. We were close enough to Aya to see that she was feigning unconsciousness, but we played along anyway. Shouta noticed this, too. Before any of the seniors could touch her, he lifted an arm and knocked every single one of them out.

"He got up slowly and walked towards Aya. Aya got up too, and ran over to heal his wounds. We had never seen Shouta nor Aya like that before. It was as if seeing two strangers at once. In a slight daze, he grabbed her wrist roughly, and they kissed. It was truly chemistry between two people who had never spoken to each other before. Strange, yet intriguing."

Yui paused and squinted at Natsume's still form. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all this."

"It's a good way of killing time," he drawled lazily, "I'm actually listening, if you wondered."

"From there, we helped him tamper with the memories of the seniors involved, and made it look as if they had lost one by one and not simultaneously from a single hit, and that we interfered with the fight. We created an impeccable story to avoid suspicion, because Shouta knew the outcome of revealing too much power at that time, and we were filled with naive thoughts - too loyal to let any of our comrades fall.

"Since then, they have been inseparable. Shouta has always protected Aya, and Aya has never healed anyone with her intimate Alice besides Shouta. She uses pills and antidotes on the other team members, which are equally effective. That incident made us realize how dangerous Shouta was. He had surpassed the seniors a long time ago, and would accelerate faster than any of us."

Yui laughed soundlessly.

"And here we are now, all under his command."

* * *

**Happy New Year! Here's to a beautiful start of 2011. Be well, & be happy, dear readers. x**


	7. Chapter 6: Shut Up

**CHAPTER 6;**

**Shut Up ;**

* * *

"Hotaru," Ruka lifted both hands up slowly, speaking very deliberately, "It's me."

She eyed him coolly as they circled each other in small, careful steps, their feet movements synchronized rather comically.

"I know there's someone behind me," he continued, "someone you really want to hit…"

Hotaru lifted an eyebrow at the person crouching behind him and tugging on the back of his shirt for her dear life. Her copper hair bobbed behind his shoulder now and then, mimicking his movements as if trying very hard to conceal herself, and Hotaru couldn't help but marvel at her idiocy.

"But," Ruka laughed nervously, "It's me."

He tried not to be intimidated by the weapon that fitted snugly onto his girlfriend's right arm. Hotaru had annual maintenance and upgrading sessions, and the infamous Baka gun he was so familiar with never failed to increase its size every year. Comparing its current size to when he first saw it 8 years ago, he had to wonder how he pulled through all these years.

"I can see it's you." Hotaru observed dryly.

"Hotaru, I have grown frail under the wrath of your Baka gun all these years." Ruka paused for a dramatic effect. "My chances of survival are almost zero now."

"My Baka gun does not care to hit you, either." Hotaru said smoothly, releasing the safety notch with a loud click.

_Talking as if it has feelings_, Ruka grumbled in his mind, watching as she handled her inventions fondly.

Mikan swallowed behind him. Ruka was her only fragment of hope, but it seemed that he was having difficulty protecting even himself.

"Move over, Ruka. I don't want to waste my bullets."

His mouth fell open. After countless times of being her experimental hamster -to which he had attained bruises on every imaginable part of his body- he was now reduced to a _waste of bullets_?

It was time he took control of this bizarre situation.

"Look here, Hotaru Imai. I've always respected your freedom to invent any damn destructible weapon and try it on me, hell, I've even let you take embarrassing pictures just to contribute to your source of income, but this? _This_, has gone too far! Before being the Academy's first-class inventor, you are my -Ruka Nogi's- girlfriend! And I am your somewhat abused boyfriend!"

… was something he would have liked to say.

Instead, he muttered incoherently, "Look here, Hotaru…" and swallowed the rest of his ideal script at the sight of the Baka gun being adjusted to its aiming position. "Just put that thing down. It's playing with your emotions."

"This Baka gun has the capacity to knock ten people out," she paused, and then added with a slight hint of pride, "simultaneously."

He shuddered at her merciless tone, thinking that perhaps jumping in front of Mikan had been a bad idea after all.

"Hotaru…" Mikan whined behind Ruka's shoulder desperately, "I'm sorry! I didn't make a deal with Persona in the end!"

"You used Amanatsu without paying." her violet eyes sparkled dangerously. Ruka almost stumbled forward upon hearing her words.

"I… _what_?" Mikan gasped in incredulity, and proceeded to wail loudly, "Hotaru, you meanieee!"

"I've wasted too much time talking." Hotaru smashed her palm against the 'Start' button. The Baka gun shuddered slightly, as its mouth began to absorb white light with a whizzing noise. Ruka widened his eyes in horror.

"Ruka, let's run for now!" Mikan grabbed his arm and made for the door, but they were too late.

"_Two idiots detected. Target: lockdown._"With a standard idiot message programmed by Hotaru, the Baka missile sprung towards them purposefully. "_The end is nigh, the end is nigh, baka baka!_"

Ruka would have laughed at that high-pitched robotic voice, were it not aiming at them.

"Hotaru Imai!" Instead, he threw an arm up to cover his eyes and yelled, "You're going to get it when I wake up-"

* * *

"Did you hear that?"

In the Special Star corridor, two girls whispered as they passed by. They turned towards the source of the muffled thumping noise that resonated off the walls. Cold wind fleeted past their faces with a two-second current, carrying faint whispers that sounded like "baka", chilling them to the bone. From that, it was fairly easy to imagine the magnitude of the internal force.

"The wall," a girl pointed ahead, frightened, "I swear I heard it _crack_."

"Let's not hang around here too long," the other girl tugged at her and quickened her pace, "I've heard the Special Star dormitory requires the highest maintenance because of the 'experiments' conducted there…"

* * *

Ruka woke up to a cool sensation and slight pressure on his cheek.

He didn't have to look to know that the hand belonged to Hotaru. She always tended to his wounds (despite the fact that she was the one who inflicted them).

"That really hurt." he said dryly, "I can't believe you knocked me unconscious this time."

"You know I won't apologize even though I'm sorry." She replied flatly as he started to laugh, his cheek aching even more. Had he not known her well enough, he would not have noticed that she was apologizing indirectly.

"Where's Mikan?"

"She got away easily." said Hotaru nonchalantly, and then added, "She is an agent, after all."

Ruka rolled his eyes, "Everyone knows you're the final boss. You just went easy on her." He winced as she applied more force on his cheek, "Itai, Hotaru."

"You really know me well, huh?"

He grabbed her wrist and stopped her movements solemnly, "What's that supposed to mean? _You're my girlfriend_."

Hotaru flinched slightly at the seriousness of his tone.

"It's been bothering me for a while already."

"What has?"

Sensing the rigid atmosphere, Ruka loosened his grip and looked away. "You don't even look me straight in the eye anymore. It's as if our relationship is just an extra-curricular activity to you."

"_What?_"

"Maybe you're just too comfortable around me now. But I care. I care when you don't step out of your laboratory for days and miss all of our dates, I care every time you let go of my hand to whip out your weapons or snap scandalous photos. I'm always with you, but you're not always with me, even though we may be standing beside each other. It feels as if I'm trying to clap with one hand."

"…"

"Forget it, I'm tired." He muttered and made to get up, "Are we in my room or yours? Do I need to get out or-"

He was cut off as an unexpected weight pinned him down, as the mattress sunk down beneath them. His cerulean eyes widened as Hotaru positioned herself perfectly on top of him, her stoic facial expression completely wiped off. He saw a mixture of fluster and anger in her eyes, and a pang of regret suddenly hit him as he realized the implication of his words on her.

"Hotaru-"

"Take it back." Hotaru demanded. He blinked in confusion.

"You, being an extra-curricular activity."

He noticed from the corner of his eye that she was gripping the bed linen tensely as she spoke, "Did you really mean it?"

Ruka shook his head slowly, "No, I don't think I did."

Upon hearing that, she relaxed slightly, yet still looked shaken. He wanted to touch her face and tell her that it was alright, but her expression stopped him.

"I'm sorry." Hotaru said, her gaze locking with his as she struggled for words for the first time, "You're right… I haven't looked at you this way in a long time."

He smiled, "Yeah." Reaching out to stroke her cheek, he said softly, "That's what I'm talking about."

"I love you."

It was so soft that it almost felt like a hallucination. But his heart beat harder as she repeated herself more clearly this time, "I love you. No matter how many dates I miss, or how many times I let go of your hand, I lo-"

"Enough." He quickly covered her mouth with a hand as she widened her violet eyes in surprise. "If you say it one more time, I swear my heart is going to explode."

He felt her lips curl into a smile, and dropped his hand.

"I'm sorry too, for being stupid just now." He smiled back at her, "I guess that makes us even."

"We'll never be even, Ruka Nogi." Hotaru smirked, as he laughed quietly and said, "Are you going to hit me again?"

"Later." She relaxed into a more comfortable position against him as he enveloped her in his arms and kissed her forehead. "If you do a good job tonight, I'll reward you instead."

"Tonight?" he gulped, "W-what are we doing tonight?"

"Something important to us…"

He could feel hot blood rushing to his cheeks-

"… and Mikan."

Ruka's mouth fell open comically. "Mikan?What does _Mikan_ have to do with this?"

"What _doesn't_ Mikan have to do with this?" she asked perplexedly, "We are going to find Natsume."

"Oh." He coughed awkwardly, "I thought… wait a minute, Natsume?"

"I've been thinking about this over and over again." Hotaru said slowly, "I don't think Natsume really left us."

He instantly picked up what she was on about. "You're saying this was all just an act?"

She nodded. "He wouldn't leave Mikan even if the sky were to fall. I suspect he's on a mission."

"Do you know his whereabouts now?"

"I sneaked a bug onto one of the Dangerous Ability students a few days ago. He reported to Persona that he'd seen Natsume with the AAO during his mission. Persona deliberately dismissed it and told him not to take any action."

"That hardly sounds like Persona."

"I also heard that the AAO will go on a major mission tonight, and that the Dangerous Ability class will dispatch an equal number of elites out. Mikan is included in the patrolling list. Tonight is the best chance for them to cross paths."

"Have you told Mikan about this?"

"Not yet," Hotaru said thoughtfully, "If we do, she won't be able to concentrate during the mission. She'd endanger both Natsume and herself."

Ruka tightened his grip on her shoulder and murmured, "Tonight, then."

* * *

"I'm telling you, partners need to hold hands during missions."

Yui smiled mischievously as she watched Natsume examine the white mask in his hands, ignoring her. "Natsumeee-"

"What?" He turned around to look at her irritably.

Her hair was tied back into a neat ponytail, accentuating her sharp features and ice-blue eyes. Her cheeks had some color and she no longer looked as sickly compared to when he first met her. She was smiling at him now, her head tilted slightly, reminding him of how Mikan used to look at him.

His heart contracted.

"I just like calling your name." Yui shrugged, "You're going to be late if you don't hurry up."

"Why are you waiting for me, anyway? We're assigned to different areas."

"Whoever said I was waiting for you?" she said coolly, "Haru is picking me up."

"Go and stick with him, then."

Yui looked slightly affronted and sprung up from her bed, "I will."

The door opened precisely at the moment she got up, and Haru stepped in, "Hey, sorry I'm late-"

"Let's go, Haru." She grabbed his wrist and spun him around, pulling him out of the room before he could say anything else. He protested lightly, "Hold on, Yui, I've got to explain to Natsume-"

"He'll manage on his own."

Yui slammed the door behind them a little harder than usual, as Haru looked at her expectantly. She was still holding his wrist.

"Haru," she said, "Have you ever felt like someone's looking at you, yet not looking at you?"

Natsume's vacant expression pierced her mind instantly. Yui smiled mockingly at her own statement, "I'm not making much sense, am I-"

"Yeah." Haru replied from behind her, his voice distant. His serious tone made her realize that he was referring to her first sentence. To her surprise, she felt his warm hand jerk out of her grip. "I get that, all the time."

* * *

A few hours later, Natsume stood against the red-bricked wall of a deserted alley, playing with a small earpiece in his hands. He smirked in amusement – the earpiece had obviously been tampered with in a feeble attempt to disrupt his first mission and put him into an unfavorable position as a Team Zero member.

His fingers worked quickly to dismantle the earpiece and fix the necessary parts. As he was about to test it, he heard distant footsteps and tensed up warily.

The footsteps were relaxed like a normal passerby's, but quieter and more controlled. To his surprise, Shouta emerged at the end of the alley and stopped, turning to look at him. Unlike his subordinates, he did not wear a mask and was dressed semi-formally in black.

"So this is where you were stationed to." Shouta said nonchalantly, "Given your abilities I thought you would've been one of my bodyguards."

Natsume replied, "Aren't you the one who arranged our positions?"

He laughed, "I follow orders too, Natsume. Just like you." His sharp gaze fell onto the earpiece in Natsume's hands, "Why isn't that in your ear?"

"Someone sabotaged it."

Shouta's lips curved into a smile of comprehension, "It happens. Do you need a new one?"

"No. I've fixed it."

"I wouldn't expect less from an Academy elite," he mused, "See you around then, Natsume."

As he turned around to leave, Natsume said calmly, "I can help you, Shouta."

Shouta waved a hand dismissively and continued walking, disappearing from the alley.

Natsume fitted the earpiece snugly into his ear and closed his eyes, concentrating on periodical reports on the mission. He heard Haru say, "_We've retrieved the case-"_ and then Ren's voice, "_I'm bringing it to Shouta now."_

_I need to gain his trust,_ Natsume thought, _just one chance is enough._

Half an hour later, Ren spoke again, "_There's someone from the Academy following me. Who's near the main streets?"_

Natsume opened his amber eyes quickly and responded with the mouthpiece on his collar, "I am."

_"Intercept that person for me."_

* * *

"Are you mad at me?" Yui said flatly, without looking up.

"No." Haru replied flatly, without looking up.

With towels draped on their shoulders, they sat side by side on the end of a narrow pier that extended out to the sea. The harbor was surprisingly warm tonight, due to the absence of cold air. They had swum in the dark waters just a few minutes ago to retrieve a metal case and bring it ashore to pass it to their comrades. Given an hour to rest before continuing the next task, they had both decided to stay where they were while waiting for further instruction.

Yui rubbed an index finger against the wood surface carelessly, manipulating a gust of wind in their direction to dry her hair. The wind was cold, causing her to shiver slightly. Haru sighed inwardly and turned towards her, draping his towel around her long hair. She looked at him questioningly and he replied, "You'll catch a cold before your hair dries."

Yui watched silently as he drew a lock of her hair with the towel and started to dry it. His face was inches away from hers, but she was used to this distance. His hair was not completely dry either - as she noticed the tiny water droplets that glistened under the moonlight.

She reached out, and he evaded her hand swiftly. Her blue eyes flashed in mild anger, "You _are_ mad. Tell me what's wrong."

"Yui," Haru said without looking up, still concentrating on his task at hand, "Just shut up and rest already."

"You won't even face me."

"I've been facing you all night."

"First it's Natsume, and then it's you." she ignored him and continued, "What do you want from me?"

He finally stopped drying her hair and looked up upon her mentioning Natsume. His green eyes were very dark, the intensity of his gaze causing a sense of unfamiliarity to creep up her skin. But being herself, Yui stared back at him with a cool composure.

"I told you to shut up," Haru said, "I guess you never learn."

There was no menace in his tone, given the harshness of his words. That was probably the reason why Yui let her guard down, otherwise she would never have allowed him to lean forward and kiss her in the next moment.

His lips were soft and lingering against hers, as if giving her a chance to push him away. When she didn't, he moved slightly and deepened the kiss, causing her to respond ever so slightly. He felt her arm entwining his neck, and her fingers running through his hair. An alarm rang distantly in his head, because _Yui_ never expressed that much affection.

His suspicion only lasted for two seconds as her grip tightened and forced him sideways abruptly. He lost balance and fell into the ice cold water with a loud splash. He hit the shallow rock surface beneath the pier almost instantly, pain shooting up his knees and elbows.

A towel followed closely and smacked his face hard before he could recover.

He knew Yui was gone even before he looked up at the pier. Haru looked down at his once-again soaked clothes resignedly.

"Shit… I should've chosen a safer place to kiss her."

* * *

Wild thoughts ran in Natsume's head as he stayed hidden in the shadows. Ren had mentioned the Academy, which meant that there was a high possibility of meeting someone he knew.

Natsume waved the thought away as he heard someone running in his direction. He listened closely; there were two people, but the distance between them was somewhat far.

Ren turned into the alley at an alarming speed, with a backpack slung against his shoulder. Upon seeing Natsume, he stopped and looked up at the walls of the alley, "Give me a boost."

"Hell, no." Natsume glared at him through his mask, "You're a Zero – do it yourself."

Ren made a small noise of exasperation and lifted a hand directly towards the fire-caster. Before the latter could react, he disappeared as if he had evaporated into thin air. Natsume looked around wildly; he could still feel Ren's presence, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are you looking?"

Natsume whirled around in the direction of Ren's voice. At the same time, an invisible force on his shoulder caused him to stagger forward; heavy and brief. Ren reappeared behind him the next second, standing safely on the high walls of the alley, making it evident that he had stepped onto Natsume's shoulder to get up there.

"Don't get too cocky, Natsume." Ren said coldly, "Getting into Team Zero within your first week of entry doesn't mean anything."

Natsume's lips curled into a smile – he had only wanted to make Ren reveal his Alice. "You should go. I'll take care of your stalker."

Ren turned around and jumped off without a word, disappearing from his sight. At that precise moment, a slender silhouette appeared at the entrance of the alley, having caught up finally.

Natsume looked over his shoulder as the person walked towards him. It was dark, but he could tell that it was a girl. He quickly closed his eyes, suddenly afraid to look at her face. His heartbeat accelerated as she came closer, finally stopping in front of him.

But deep down, he already knew.

"Don't even bother using your Alice."

As she reached out and grabbed his collar, her fingertips brushing against his skin lightly, Natsume opened his eyes slowly, allowing her to pull him closer without resistance.

It was unmistakably the girl that occupied his thoughts, day and night.

* * *

**My darlings, I humbly present Chapter 6. My conscience screams at me every time I receive a heartwarming review. I apologize for that, but since I have time today, I'd like to shower my love and thanks to these wonderful people who have taken time to review this story:**

VeryCherryJellyBean, Chibified Indian, tokyobend17, funny sakura, -rhan-louise-, istopped, **Ancr** -_I only just noticed, but hey, I followed your Vampire Fangs story during my early days in FF! You totally got me the minute you described Natsume doing push-ups *giggles insanely*_

EnChan, LeonReon, PrincessJanelle, LinaLina183, vforlife, Kibou No Megami, Sunkised-chan, tinkerbellie, **Sitting in the Silence** _Kate-chan hihi! Hope all is well._

Yukiri-chan, LiLMissVexatious, ladalada, , moonliteroses394, xXbunnyholicXx (berry smoothie!), chocobang is sakura hayashi, martocasmusic, Deprived of Chocolate, ProverbialSunrise93, raindrops22, JC-zala, dolin0000, GApurpLeAddicT, **Tenilialunar**

BunnySocks, Konnichiwa Minna, yasly, , Marshmallow73, toboe059, xDream-yAyumii, xXBellaSwanXx, ai-chocolate, Awai Tameni Za Kuro, Blitzer's demonic spirit, tsujeai, heya-gurl, 147258369 DELETED, Ms. BbB, nissikisses, L's apprentice, prettycj, Caritate, Eve 'lil' princess, eLeA mELeNdEz, 'Blue Moon and Roses', Enilezah, Kurukus, ruin princess, purple-flavored-gum my bear, kmc27, kirei31, cutestella, forchan, Elv, Irumi Kanzaki, **Alrisce** _"senpai " amused me to no end, and yes if you every write a story let me know!_

aegyo, FatHo, midnight-attraction, bunnnny-chan, randomizedthoughts, NRvirus, Comicworm, candyxgirl, tuticuttie, Her Cousin Was Here-Mwahahahah, manimefrancess, fieryme-, -KuroTenshi11-, nightlynxness, **Typh **_You're one of my favourite authors and you were actually here! I absolutely adore your cute one-shots._

PurpleHime, gossipsmypassion, SpaiseFreaque, Heartbroken Confession, Fantisylover, midnitestarz, Lady Kaname Kuran, halftherainbow7, slowlyrealising, tAnGeRiNe-jUjUbE08, Banana Smiles, dominiqueanne, sweetswirlypop, illutia mist, o0huggies0o, RainbowPrincess326, **Sakura-Hime24****6 **(sakurapetal246)_ Good job translating the Chinese lyrics hime-chan ;)_

fire dragonheart, Laine Whitlock, ainyo, Isadora T, Whatever07, -SmilingArtist-, dolphingal13, Arvee-Chan, jcroxx, crimsoneyes44, fitha, Youichiix33, evangeline, littleazngirl24, niceladysakura, **526biimqaa** (_Regina)_

xXBlackTenshiXx, CarJanLucy, chello-chan, 'x-KiRa09-x', animechic12, Mitsumi Haruka, Irrevocable Truth, The Forgotten Promise, NadeshikoEverdeenHimeSama, kazeyukiryusama, shadesofgreen13, xxtiffanysaysxx, Purple Tangerines, mikan, mAeLyX, SweetieSakura, Eternal Anime Fan, samika-37, xXxCat-OtakuxXx, zoooaaa, Amethyst Petals, kawaiiIsa-chan, Jeniffer Artemis, (Anonymous), animefortune2468, SliverMeaning of Life and Love, HazZel and CriMson, lil achance, Eternal Anime Fan, (Anonymous), joeymental626, **JustNicole3** _I'm glad this story cheered you up! More good days coming your way :)_

akadabra-kaching, YamCAKE, Suyin Sah

* * *

**I'm terribly sorry I can't reply to every single review. As a general comment though, you guys write more awesome stuff than me because I wouldn't be able to write reviews with so much encouragement and sweet words. Always plastering a silly smile on my face, and that doesn't happen very often (I prefer to smile shyly) so flying kisses to all of you!**

**I haven't got fantastic memory but I'm not lying when I say _a lot _of your pennames ring a bell from Hold Me Tight and Never Let Go… (What am I talking about this is a sequel after all) That is nostalgically nostalgic. I still receive reviews for that story now and then; unfortunately I'll have to distribute my thanks in the next few chapters. Till then, allow me to sit on my chair and giggle more. I also appreciate those who changed their pennames and actually let me know in their reviews. Same goes to those who left their real names. Thank you for sticking with me even after Hold Me Tight and Never Let Go was completed.**

**Readers who read The Stray Cat of the Alley when it was first published in 2007 will know that I originally wrote five chapters and deleted them, rewriting the whole thing because it didn't feel "right". In that original version, I wanted to write about Yui coming back to ruin Natsume & Mikan's lives, but changed my mind halfway and decided to give her personal story a go. Sorry about that – some reviews are actually directed to the old version of this story (e.g. WHY IS YUI HANA BACK *#&).**

**As for the readers who never saw any changes to this story, the current plot I'm writing on is final.**

**Finally, a Sumo-sized hug to you who finished reading my insane rant. I have not forgotten this story, and I don't plan to either. Again, thanks for all the support and I hope you guys are well. x**

**p.s. Sometimes my reviewers like to give me cookies. Man, you guys really know how to play to my tastes.**

**p.p.s. A lot of you have been curious about my nationality since I posted Chinese lyrics in the previous chapters. Yes sweeties, I'm Chinese. As for which country, continue guessing ;)**


	8. Chapter 7: Soda Can

**CHAPTER 7; **

**Soda Can ;**

* * *

"I don't trust the Black Cat."

With one hand firm on the steering wheel, Ren took his eyes off the road for a second to glance up at the rear-view mirror.

Shouta was seated comfortably in the back seat, with an elbow propped up against the tinted window. His eyes were closed as if he were taking a light nap, but Ren knew that the Team Zero leader never let his guard down despite the calm demeanor he exhibited.

Hoping for a response, he pressed on. "Shouta…"

"I don't expect you to." Shouta replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "Leave the mundane issues to me, Ren. All you need to do is follow orders."

"He could be a spy."

"He can be whatever he wants, as long as he doesn't get in our way."

As his right-hand man, Ren knew that his leader was perfectly capable of crushing Natsume Hyuuga if he deemed it necessary to.

Watching Shouta become the youngest agent with a corporate ranking had made him realize that it were impossible for anyone at their age to stand on equal footing with him. It was not just the latter's flawless set of skills – Shouta was born a charismatic leader.

He gave his subordinates as much freedom as they wanted, as long as they executed their missions successfully. Every single member of Team Zero was devoted to him and never questioned his judgment – those that overstepped his boundaries were fools.

"Hey, Ren." Shouta grinned, as if their conversation had caught his interest after all. "Since we finished early, let's go take a walk."

* * *

The slender figure in front of him was real. There was a stun gun hovering near his side in case he moved, but he didn't care. Natsume breathed evenly, thankful that her hand was not on his chest where his heart pounded vigorously.

He couldn't call out to her.

"I'm warning you, don't move an inch." Mikan said coldly, "This stun gun is more powerful than it looks."

His lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Nothing could describe how torn he felt right now; how close he was to telling her, _I shouldn't have left you._

_..._

_In the Northern forest of the Academy, two figures stood under a tree, their silhouettes blurred against the orange sunset._

_Despite the slightly romantic impression, the atmosphere was tense._

"_I'm warning you, don't move an inch."Natsume looked down frostily, casting a shadow onto Mikan's face. "This stick is more powerful than it looks."_

_In his hand was an ordinary-looking twig that had fell onto his head while they were training earlier. She nodded slowly, looking impressed._

_Satisfied with her response, he smirked and relaxed his stance, playing with the stick in his hand. "Practice this line every day, and use it to intimidate your enemies."_

_Mikan nodded again and repeated obediently, "I'm warning you, don't move an inch. This stick is more powerful than it looks."_

"_You sound like a robot."_

_She looked offended. "I'll do it well – I just need more practice."_

_..._

She had kept her word.

Her hazel eyes were only centimeters away from him, tense and guarded. There were no signs of weakness, and were he not Natsume Hyuuga and she Mikan Sakura, he would have actually feared her.

"You're not the same person I was chasing." she observed, "Where did he go?"

Natsume weighed his options mentally, before realizing he had none. Escaping would mean leaving his post, which was not something a Team Zero member would be excused for.

"Well?" Mikan demanded, "Where is the meeting point?"

He turned away, refusing to speak.

She suddenly tugged his collar roughly to make him face her – albeit too rough – causing his face to bump lightly into hers. Natsume widened his eyes behind the mask, as did she.

She closed the distance between them and whispered carefully, "You don't have to tell me anything about this mission. I want to know something else."

He could already guess what she was after – there was nothing else she had ever wanted more. Natsume finally spoke, his voice muffled by the mask. "What do you want to know?"

"I'm looking for someone," she continued, "His name is Natsume Hyuuga. Please, tell me if he's in the Organization."

Despite his face being concealed, Natsume closed his eyes resignedly. He had long ago predicted this scenario that they would cross paths even after he left her, and that she would never give up looking for him.

Retrieving the rehearsed answer from his mind, he willed his heart not to soften.

"Natsume Hyuuga isn't in Japan anymore. He entered the Organization a week ago, and the higher-ups immediately dispatched him out of the country."

"_What?_"

"It's a permanent mission. He's not coming back."

He watched as colour slowly drained out of Mikan's face. For a moment, she seemed lost for words. Her grip on him loosened, as her hands fell to her side. He knew he had to continue.

"Just give it up-"

"You're lying." Mikan shook her head with a firm tone, "I don't know what instructions you received, but I guess I'll have to find out for myself."

He slammed the wall, unconsciously raising his voice. "Which part of 'not coming back' don't you understand? You won't be able to find him even if you tear the headquarters down!"

"He promised me that he wouldn't let go." she said quietly.

He froze.

"Natsume hates giving promises," Mikan said fiercely, looking directly at him, "because he'd rather die than break them."

His fist, still against the wall, clenched tightly.

"Therefore if he promises me something,_ I'll hold on to it no matter how long it takes._"

_Idiot…_

Mikan dropped her backpack and bent down to unzip it. Natsume watched bewilderedly as she rummaged through it.

Finally, she straightened up, having found what she was looking for.

"Here," she jammed something hard and cold into his free hand.

It was a soda can.

"I thought I'd meet him tonight, but I guess not after all."

"…"

"Pass this to Natsume if you see him." Mikan instructed solemnly, evidently neglecting the fact that he was her enemy.

Natsume studied the soda can in his palm. Even before looking closely, he knew.

It was tangerine_-_flavoured. A faint smile escaped his lips.

"And tell him," Her voice rang clearly in his ears, like a bell. "I'll never let go, either."

* * *

"It's Natsume."

"Are you sure?"

"They're chatting like long-lost friends." Hotaru observed, adjusting the focus of her binoculars, "A typical AAO agent would never entertain her."

Ruka leaned against the railing and squinted at the two dark silhouettes in the distant alley, "I can't tell if it's him."

They were standing on the rooftop of a high rise building that overlooked the back lanes and alleys of the city.

"What happened to that listening device you planted in her wallet?"

"I disguised it as a 5-rabbit coin, and that idiot used it to buy a drink at the vending machine before she left."

A gust of cold wind swept past them. Ruka shivered and walked towards Hotaru, wrapping a thick fur jacket around her shoulders.

"Wait – someone else is spying on them."

He frowned and squinted as another two figures approached the alley, before vanishing abruptly. They widened their eyes in shock.

"Ruka, did you see that?"

"Y-yeah. They just disappeared…"

"Quick, let's get Mikan out of there before things get complicated."

"But how?"

* * *

Mikan blinked, trying to suppress the sudden fear in her eyes.

Just a second ago, the boy in front of her had dropped the soda can and pinned her against the wall with incredible speed and force.

The comfortable atmosphere that they had slipped into was now gone, replaced by dark animosity that made her fully aware of their opposing stances. It was then when she realized that he had been holding back all along, and that she was no match for him. The fleeting connection that she had felt between them had broken instantly.

"What's wrong?" She asked cautiously.

"Enough of fooling around." The masked boy replied coldly, "This is not a playground where you can show sympathy and be friendly to your enemies. We're here on a mission, so take your romance story elsewhere."

She widened her eyes at his harsh words.

Behind the mask, Natsume could feel cold sweat trickling down the back of his ear. Due to his heightened senses, he was able to distinguish the unique presence of any enemy he had encountered before. Moments ago, he had felt it.

Two presences that were fairly new to him, yet still fresh in his mind as he had already met them earlier in the night.

_Shouta and Ren._

He couldn't see nor hear them, but they were unmistakably standing in the alley, unmoving.

It was the worst situation for Mikan.

"Listen up," He said deliberately, "I could finish you off… but I'm not an assassin."

_So run, Mikan. Take advantage of this and run._

"Fine. I won't interrupt your mission anymore, so let me go." Mikan responded, having immediately comprehended his words. She had to survive at any cost, even if it meant throwing away her pride.

The split second Natsume released her, he felt an instantaneous movement in Ren's invisible presence, accompanied with a killing intent. Without thinking, he moved in front of her to shield her.

She let out a noise of surprise. "You-"

At the same time, a massive shadow engulfed them as an eagle suddenly appeared above them. Natsume looked up wildly as it swooped down directly towards Mikan with open talons, closing them onto her shoulders.

"W-wha-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

She let out a long scream as the eagle lifted her into the air and took off once again. Natsume's heart sank in great relief as he watched Mikan's flailing figure gradually disappear in the sky.

_Ruka…_

"That was quite a spectacular escape."

He whirled around to see Shouta and Ren emerge out of the shadows. While Ren was visibly furious, Shouta had a mildly amused expression on his fine features.

"Is that girl, by any chance, your girlfriend Mikan Sakura?" He commented lightly, "She looked terrified despite being rescued."

Natsume removed his mask, meeting Shouta's dark eyes with a steady gaze.

"Natsume Hyuuga," Ren stepped forward threateningly, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Calm down, Ren." Shouta said, his gaze still fixed onto the fire-caster. "It's true that Natsume had no instructions to kill the girl. Technically, he hasn't done anything wrong."

Ren seemed itching to protest, but nevertheless fell silent.

"We came to pick you up, Natsume." Shouta smirked nonchalantly, his face betraying no hint of emotion, "Nothing more than that."

Natsume gave him a long, hard stare. It was impossible to read that person's mind for now – Shouta was evidently trained on a different level than him. After bending down to pick up the soda can, he turned his back on the two Zeros and started walking, "Let's go, then."

* * *

Tonight was going to be a long night.

As Haru stood outside his room, he retrieved a key card out of his pocket and let out an audible sigh.

Upon entering the room, he knew immediately that he wasn't alone. Without flipping the switch on, his gaze fell onto the occupied bed, "Yui, what are you doing here?"

The room was pitch-black, yet they were both accustomed to seeing clearly in the darkness almost instantly.

"I'm meditating."

Sure enough, she was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, with her eyes closed. She had changed out of her fighting gear and let her hair down, emitting that serene look that he would never get used to despite seeing it for years.

Tonight, however, it was oddly refreshing.

"Go back to your room." He ignored her and went straight to the closet, retrieving a dark shirt.

"This _is_ my room." She retorted, "Did you hit your head just now and forget that you had a roommate?"

"No." He removed his gear and turned around slightly, glaring at her. "But I did manage to injure my arm, thanks to a certain someone."

"So, what did the doctor say?"

"Doctor?" He echoed in confusion, "What doctor?"

"I assume that after you violated me," Yui pointed a finger to her lips calmly, indicating their kiss just now, "you immediately questioned your sanity and consulted a doctor for symptoms of a mental breakdown."

Haru's face was a mask of incredulity.

"Why else," She gave up on meditating and promptly slipped into the blankets, propping herself up against the wall, "would you have kissed me?"

For a moment, Haru looked as if he were about to say something. Instead, he turned around to wear his shirt. "It was just to shut you up."

"I'll forgive you this time, Haru."

He snorted and pointed to his neatly bandaged arm, "After being pushed into the water, your forgiveness doesn't sound very appealing to me."

Yui blinked, "It was a reflex."

He sighed exasperatedly, "Go back to your _current_ room, Yui. I can't deal with you for more than three hours a day."

"I was assigned to that room temporarily because of my injuries." Yui replied flatly, "Now that I'm all healed, I can come back anytime."

Haru held her gaze wordlessly for a moment, and then climbed into bed, turning his back against her. "Fine. Do as you please."

She punched his back, hard.

He responded without flinching, "If you assault me one more time, I'm going to sleep outside in the corridor."

For a moment, she fell silent behind him.

And then she spoke again. "Do you hate me?"

"Don't be stupid."

"Then why are you trying so hard to get away from me?"

He didn't answer. She reached out and placed a hand onto his bandaged arm. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

He caught her fingers lightly. "You always do."

"Haru, if you leave…" Yui trailed off without finishing her sentence. Having spent most of her childhood with him, she had always known that there were only two outcomes for them. In the end, he would either protect her forever, or find someone else to protect.

The grip on her fingers loosened – Haru had fallen asleep. She rolled back into a comfortable sleeping position, lifting the same hand he had held briefly in front of her face.

There was still some warmth left, tingling at her fingertips.

* * *

To my lovely readers, thank you so much for your patience. *deep bow*

I wanted to get this chapter out as quickly as possible, and copy-pasting names takes time, so I've skipped the gratitude list part (where I usually give thanks to thoughtful reviewers) and will do that in the next few chapters. I've also scratched the usual intro lyrics and added a chapter title for a change (basically all I did was to extract a phrase out of this chapter to do that lol). Anyway, I hope everyone's had a great day/week! Did I mention I love you guys?


	9. Chapter 8: Reunion

**CHAPTER 8;**

**Reunion;**

* * *

"I'm going back to my room."

Having returned to the headquarters, they stood outside the dormitory entrance. Shouta deftly removed his silver cufflinks and rolled his sleeves up. "Not so fast, Natsume. We're throwing a welcome party for you."

The door swung open before Natsume could reply. Deafening music spilled out like water through a broken dam – the large concourse had been transformed into a full-fledged dance floor and pub. Colourful lights crisscrossed randomly across the dim and smoky space, flashing against the tipsy faces of the dancing crowd.

Two boys stumbled out groggily, soaked in the stench of alcohol. Shouta and Natsume dodged them neatly as they collapsed forward on their knees, eyes barely open.

"Next time for sure, Aya senpai…" One of them mumbled almost incoherently.

Shouta raised a brow and bent down slightly towards him, "What did she do?"

"Broke my heart…" He hiccupped and sobbed comically, evidently too drunk to recognise the person in front of him. "Told me she wouldn't – hic – dance with anyone else other than Shouta… bought me – hic – five shots instead… who does she think I am…"

Shouta laughed, clearly satisfied with the boy's answer. "Better luck next time."

As they made their way through the dance floor, the crowd automatically shifted around them as the neon spotlights revealed their faces. Fresh excitement burst across the room.

"It's the Black Cat!"

"So it's true that he joined us!"

"He's even more good-looking than the rumours say…"

"Look, he's with Shouta."

"Shouta-kun, come and have a drink with us!" Two girls in tight mini-dresses squeezed through the crowd and clung onto his arm immediately, "Division leaders get free flow drinks, don't they?"

"Settle down, Division Three girls." Shouta looked unruffled, "Don't get me into trouble with Aya."

"We'll be waiting for you at the bar." They giggled and turned to Natsume before leaving, "Natsume-kun, join us! We want to hear stories from the Academy."

Natsume glanced at Shouta, as the latter casually slung an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, Natsume. If you don't accompany me, those girls are going to destroy my liver."

"I'll pass."

Shouta leaned over and spoke softly in his ear. His voice was drowned by the ear-splitting music and shouting; nevertheless Natsume heard it clearly.

"_Earlier, you said you wanted to help me."_

The fire-caster's eyes turned sharp as he narrowed his eyes at the Zero leader. Shouta had a faint smile on his lips, which didn't reach his dark eyes. He was not referring to the bar.

Natsume nodded reluctantly, "Fine, but I already have something to drink."

Almost immediately, Shouta's gaze fell onto the soda can in his hand. Amusement flickered in his eyes, as he commented, "I had no idea you had it in you."

"Had what?"

"Lover boy genes."

"Start walking, before I hit you." Natsume answered in a deadpanned tone, as Shouta chuckled and led him to the bar across the dance floor.

* * *

Shouta was a liar.

Natsume had come to that conclusion in less than an hour, as he watched the Zero leader tilt his head and down the last vodka shot effortlessly. The last of his female challengers had passed out ungracefully on the marble surface of the bar, her head lolled over to one side.

Shouta beckoned to the teleporter on duty behind him, who had been escorting the drunken girls back to their respective rooms all night. "She's the last, I promise."

Natsume commented dryly. "I think, you have a liver made of iron."

"I do." Shouta admitted, sliding the empty shot glass back to the bartender with a flick of his wrist. "Believe me, the training process was nasty."

"You didn't need me at all."

"Sorry for the poor excuse." Shouta grinned, "I've been wanting to talk to you. Why did you join the Organisation, Natsume?"

Natsume narrowed his eyes, "Surely you know how I got here."

"I know – that's not what I was asking." Shouta turned to look at him, "You could've easily left this place after you recovered, but you chose to stay. I want to know why."

Despite the amount of alcohol he had consumed, there was not a trace of tipsiness on Shouta's pale face. The Zero leader was regarding him with a neutral expression, however Natsume could feel the slight tension between them, thin as thread. After staring at each other wordlessly for one minute, Natsume's lips curled into a hard smile.

His words were slow and deliberate. "I'm an Academy spy."

Shouta's gaze sharpened by a fraction, as the fire caster stared back at him without a hint of fear in his eyes. Rather, he was monitoring the Zero leader's reaction closely.

Then, there was a blur of movement as Shouta leaned forward and crashed into Natsume, pinning the latter onto the floor with his elbow. Natsume choked, having all the air knocked out of his windpipe instantly.

The atmosphere immediately tensed up as the crowd stopped dancing to look towards the bar questioningly. Ren had also appeared out of nowhere, towering over them cautiously. Shouta lifted his free arm dismissively and signalled for the crowd to carry on, without shifting his expressionless gaze. "Leave us alone, Ren."

Seeing that Shouta had the situation under control and Natsume did not seem to fight back, Ren backed off slowly.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Shouta studied Natsume with a thoughtful glance. Natsume held his gaze and breathed, "Are you going to hand me over?"

Shouta lowered his head and whispered something in Natsume's ear before releasing him, leisurely getting up on his feet. Natsume's eyes widened.

"You're a perfect fit for our division, you know?" said Shouta as he walked away, "Just don't go around joking about things like that – you'll get me into trouble."

Natsume clenched his right fist and slammed it against the floor in frustration, as Ren hauled him up unceremoniously. A rare smile was plastered on his face, as if satisfied by the sight of Natsume taking a beating. "It's been a while since Shouta gave a warm welcome like that."

Natsume narrowed his eyes at Ren and left the bar, his mind clouded with thoughts. _Shouta…_

* * *

As he attempted to squeeze through the crowd, a person blocked his way and refused to budge. Natsume glared irritably at the obstacle in front of him.

It was an attractive girl, with soft wavy black curls that reached her waist. She wore a silver mini-dress lined with faint futuristic patterns, oddly reminding him of Hotaru Imai's inventions. Nevertheless it did well to accentuate her soft curves.

Someone bumped into her from behind suddenly, causing her to stumble forward. He caught her shoulders and steadied her at an appropriate distance before their bodies could touch.

"Dance with me," she laughed, her petite body swaying carelessly to the music.

As she reached out for his waist, he caught her wrist warningly. "No."

She seemed to hesitate for a brief moment, before smiling teasingly and holding his hand instead, "Believe it or not, I'm not hitting on you. I really just want to dance."

The spotlight swept past them for two seconds, illuminating their faces as he finally saw her clearly.

It only took two seconds.

Natsume's face went visibly pale. He didn't speak, but the overwhelming shock in his eyes was evident. The black-haired girl gazed back at him questioningly, "What's wrong?"

Forcing himself to regain composure, he replied in a strangled voice. "Come closer, if you want to dance."

She wrapped her arms around his neck lightly. He held her waist in response, as the crowd shuffled around them restlessly. The girl clung onto him closely, her cheek pressed against his heart. He asked calmly, "Are you attached?"

"Yes, but my boyfriend's not here tonight."

"What would he do if he saw us like this?"

"We're just dancing," she replied evenly, "He's not the type to get jealous easily."

She felt his chest heave slightly as he released her waist. She looked up, staring directly into his cold, amber eyes. His fingers ran through her black hair slowly, "What if we did something like this?"

Before she could even guess what that "something" was, Natsume leaned forward and kissed her full on the lips. Her soft lips parted in surprise, as he deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth.

He was forced to let go as she dug her fingernails hard into his shoulder blade. She gasped, "What was that for?"

"You look just like her," His cheeks were just as flushed as hers, "Your eyes remind me of my girlfriend."

She lifted a hand and he closed his eyes submissively, bracing himself for the slap. It never landed. Natsume opened his eyes.

She was gone.

* * *

The midnight air was chilly.

Natsume followed the mysterious girl from a safe distance, relieved that he hadn't lost track of her.

They were once again in the city where his mission had taken place hours ago. Her black hair swept after her as she disappeared around the corner into an alley. Deciding that they were far enough from the headquarters, he finally quickened his footsteps and caught up to her with ease.

"Hey, wait up."

She whirled around and shoved him away furiously, as hard as she could. "Get away from me!"

Her voice bounced across the brick walls. A pained expression crossed his face, "You even sound like her."

"Will you snap out of it?" The flustered expression on her face was evident now, "I'm not your girlfriend. You're _drunk_!"

"I'm not." Natsume pointed out, "You should've been able to tell."

She knew he was telling the truth – she hadn't tasted a single drop of alcohol in his mouth when they kissed.

"That just makes things worse," She snapped, her body trembling uncontrollably with anger. "To think you do these despicable things behind your girlfriend's back."

Despite her harsh words, a faint smile tugged at his lips. "I think I owe you a slap."

"Is that why you followed me all the way here?" She sounded incredulous, "Natsume Hyuuga, you're unbelievable."

"How do you know my name?"

"… Everyone does."

"What's yours, then?" He asked quietly. She looked stunned for a moment, before looking away. "You have no right to know."

"Then, I'll make a guess." Natsume reached out swiftly and grabbed her wrist, yanking her with such force that she staggered into his arms. Alarm rang in her head as she noticed that his indifferent aura from seconds ago had disappeared.

His voice was hushed when he spoke again, but the words that came out almost knocked the breath out of her.

"Sakura…" It felt as if he were cradling the whole world in his arms, "_Mikan Sakura._"

* * *

As he said her name without a hint of doubt, it finally dawned on Mikan that he had seen through her disguise right from the start, thus his puzzling actions in the club.

The Natsume she knew would never have kissed anyone other than her, no matter how striking the resemblance. The Natsume she knew would never have shown any special interest towards girls other than her, no matter how attractive they were. Guilt washed over her, as she realised how foolish she had been to believe otherwise.

"Well?" Natsume said calmly, "Did I guess right?"

Mikan sank in his embrace in defeat, burying her face in his shirt and awaiting the scolding that she well deserved. Instead he relaxed his shoulders, sounding more exhausted than anything, "Idiot, you almost gave me a heart attack back there."

"How did you know?" she said in a small voice.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Natsume rolled his eyes, "As if I wouldn't be able to recognise you."

Their conversation before he left her weeks ago echoed in her brain, willing her not to lose herself in his arms. "I thought you said it was over."

The harshness of her own voice shocked her, and she half-regretted it as Natsume tensed up against her.

After a long pause, he finally admitted slowly, "I did say that."

Mikan immediately pushed him away and stepped back, fighting to suppress the hurt and disappointment from her eyes. "Well, congratulations on your newfound freedom."

A bewildered expression crossed his face, "What?"

"You looked like you were having fun back there."

When Natsume didn't respond, she looked up questioningly. He was staring at her, as if she were crazy. "Did you really think I would leave you for something like _that_?"

His incredulous tone stung her, as she promptly turned defensive. "You said you'd had enough of the Academy."

"I did." He said fiercely, "I've said many things to you in the past, Mikan. You should be able to tell what's real and what's not!"

"And what happened when I chose to believe in you?" She snapped, referring to their encounter in the alley, "You pretended to be someone else and brushed it off as some _romance story_!"

"I had to." Guilt flashed in his eyes, as he immediately comprehended her words. "If I had revealed myself just now, both of us would've gotten killed. I didn't think a stranger's words would-"

"-hurt me?" Mikan finished for him, her voice rough, "Well, it did. Even though I didn't know it was you, it still hurt."

Natsume's expression darkened, "Can we stop fighting?"

"We're not done talking yet, Natsume."

"I don't want to talk anymore."

"Oh?" Mikan said sarcastically, "Then what do you suggest we do? Stare each other down?"

He answered quietly, "Close your eyes, Mikan."

It only took one sentence. All that rising anger instantly died down her throat, as she forced out a choked reply. "Why should I?"

"I'll tell you what you want to know."

Their uneven breathing resounded in the cold air, and suddenly, nothing around them mattered – not even their heated argument.

"No," she breathed, but her answer was weak. "You can't just get away like this every single time-"

As he drew her closer, she trailed off and found herself cupping her hands around his face. Natsume had lost weight – his angled cheekbones even sharper and the collarbone beneath his shirt more prominent. He lifted a hand and gently drew her palm away from his right cheek.

He locked lips with her as if they had never been apart before. His fingers ran through her black wig and gently tugged it off, letting her real auburn hair fall onto their shoulders. The wig dropped onto the floor soundlessly. He then moved to kiss her cheek lightly, his finger caressing the contour of her face.

"I'm on a mission to infiltrate the headquarters," he whispered. "I never intended to break up with you for real. Mikan, _baka_… how could you not know?"

He broke off as her tears flowed through the gaps between his fingers.

She wondered why that possibility hadn't occurred in her mind before this – the answer had been so blatantly obvious when he kissed her. He was madly in love with her, and those feelings had never changed all the while.

"The night I left, Persona injured me to lure the Organisation out. From there, I infiltrated the headquarters and entered their elite assassination team. Mikan, if my identity is discovered…" Natsume shook his head lightly, "You're not even supposed to know all this. I'm only endangering y–"

He broke off as she wrapped her arms around his waist so tightly, that it was impossible for him to budge an inch. He sighed and placed a hand on her head comfortingly. "I shouldn't be glad to see you here… but I am."

"I had to see you." Her voice was muffled against his shirt, "I had to, after knowing where you were…"

"How did you find out it was me in the alley?" He was sure that Mikan had not recognised him back then.

"After I was abducted by that giant eagle." She shuddered, recalling her unpleasant experience being snatched up by a bird twice her size.

* * *

_(Two hours ago…)_

"H-help…"

Mikan's teeth chattered as the strong wind plastered onto her face like a sheet of ice. She had stopped flailing her arms comically in order to wrap them around her body due to the cold. Of all things, being picked up by an eagle had not exactly been part of her escape plan.

"Excuse me, Mr. Eagle…" She started timidly, "Where are we going-"

It was precisely at this moment that the eagle decided to release her. A bloodcurdling scream involuntarily escaped her throat before a pair of arms caught her firmly like a safety net, "Mikan!"

A cold sensation washed over her heart from the shock of the fall, as she looked up to find Ruka's concerned face shadowing over her, "Ruka!"

He smiled, "Look who decided to 'drop' by."

Mikan's threw her arms around Ruka, wailing, "Ruka-"

"Wh-what's wrong?" he asked anxiously, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

She shook her head vigorously.

"Of course she isn't hurt. Natsume would never let that happen on his watch." Hotaru's smug face appeared above them, "Hello, idiot."

"Hotaru, you came too!" Mikan broke into a smile, and then blinked confusedly. "Did you say… _Natsume_?"

"How was your reunion with Natsume?"

"What reunion-" She trailed off, as the image of the masked boy shielding her flashed in front of her eyes again. His protective actions. That familiar feeling she was unable to shake off the whole night. And then it finally hit her.

"It really was him…" Her words came out trembling.

Ruka shifted uncomfortably, "Mikan, let's head back for now."

"No, not yet." She grabbed hold of his sleeve desperately, "Ruka, Hotaru… please."

* * *

"Damn that Imai." Natsume muttered, "She's too perceptive for her own good."

"But really, how did you recognise me in the club?" Mikan blinked at him and pointed at the black wig on the ground. "Hotaru did such a great job – even _I_ couldn't recognise myself in the mirror."

"I had my suspicions when I saw your dress designed by Imai." He glanced at the futuristic patterns on her dress, vaguely recalling the same design on Hotaru's inventions. "And when I saw your eyes, I knew for sure."

Mikan blushed a little at his words.

"Mikan, don't ever do something stupid like this again." Natsume looked at her seriously, "Right now, I can't even guarantee my own safety, let alone yours. Stay away from the Organisation, I'm _begging_ you."

She returned his gaze steadily, "I understand. But in exchange, you have to promise me something."

"What?"

"Promise that you won't push me away, anymore. I won't go near that place anymore, but you have to let me in one way or another. _Let me help you._"

He could almost see the raw determination in her clear eyes. She was beautiful, and his heart seemed to beat harder every word she said. He suddenly had a flashback of the night he'd rejected her and she'd slapped him, hot tears streaming down her face. They had gone through so much since then and he finally noticed for the first time, that her hazel eyes had shed its naivety and become more wistful now.

"Natsume…?" Mikan's voice abruptly brought him back to the present, as he shook his head, smiling for the first time since they'd reunited.

She trailed off as he stepped up, closing their distance.

"Thank you," He murmured and leaned forward, as she quickly closed her eyes, but that familiar sensation on her lips never came.

Instead, a gust of cold wind swept past her face, and she thought she heard distant footsteps. Her eyes fluttered open in surprise, catching the silhouette of his back a second before he disappeared from her sight. His voice resounded faintly in the alley.

"We've run out of time tonight, but I'll come see you soon. Wait for me, Mikan."

* * *

**A/N: *dodges rotten eggs and tomatoes* Gomennn for the century-long update!**


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